Homelessness in Glasgow

1
Homelessness in Glasgow

• Catherine Jamieson
• Head of the Homelessness Partnership
• Glasgow City Council

2
Context - National Scottish Legislative Framework

• Ongoing improvements over last 5 years
• National Task Force on Homelessness (2001) with
  59 recommendations
• Legal duties for the Council
• International Human Rights Award for Homelessness
  (Scotland) Act 2003

3
Context - Glasgow

• Street Homelessness Review Team Report (2000)
  with 11 recommendations
• Establishment of Homelessness Partnership
• Glasgow City Council
• Greater Glasgow Health Board
• Voluntary Sector
• Scottish Executive

4
Glasgows Homelessness Strategy

• Prevent homelessness
• Alleviate homelessness for those who experience
  it
• Eliminate the need to sleep rough in Glasgow
• Secure joint work and service delivery to provide
  user/needs led service
• Key Aim to provide homelessness services at a
  local level
• Developed from detailed analysis of causes,
  nature extent of homelessness

5
Change in Service

• Providing beds
• Providing homes
• Providing support to change peoples lives
• Underlying causes of homelessness are complex
  and all need to be dealt with to prevent it
  happening again.

6
Glasgows Priorities

• 12,500 applications
• Single male - 52
• Single female - 15
• Single parents - 21
• Couple no children - 3
• Couple children - 4
• Other households - 4
• Assessed as homeless and in priority need
  8,369(70)

7
Rough Sleeping

• National priority to reduce levels
• 1100 service users reported a member of household
  had slept rough in previous 3 months
• Specific projects funded to work with rough
  sleepers including Street Teams

8
Types of Temporary Accommodation

• Large scale hostels (male female) being
  phased out
• Temporary furnished flats across City
• Bed breakfast accommodation being phased out
  for families with children
• Womens Aid refugees
• Assessment centres
• General single homeless
• Young single homeless (1617 year olds)

9
Key Support Services -1

• Integrated assessment at point of application to
  determine housing and support needs
• A range of integrated health homelessness
  services
• Assessment Diversion Team who prevent
  homeless people using hostels

10
Key Support Services -2

• A range of support services including
• Housing support in hostels and temporary
  accommodation
• Floating support for service users with learning
  disabilities, mental illness, older people,
  continuing drinkers
• Enhanced personal support service
• Homecare enhanced homecare

11
Key Support Services -3

• New Accommodation Projects
• Supported accommodation for continuing drinkers
• Small scale resettlement projects for hostel
  residents
• Rehabilitation services for alcohol/drug
  addictions
• Supported accommodation for young people (18-25)
  with complex needs
• Supported accommodation for older people with
  alcohol related brain damage
• Move on accommodation for homeless drug users

12
Key Support Services -4

• Increased social care assessment staff at local
  level across the City
• Joint training
• Links to training, education employment for
  service users
• Prevention work
• Housing Information Advice Strategy
• Access to Housing Support

13
Prevention

• Early identification of those getting into
  housing difficulties
• Advice, information and support available for
  those getting into difficulties at an early stage
• More effective care management and review (Social
  Services)
• Sensitive arrears management and anti-social
  behaviour policies of landlords
• Education in schools and through Youth Services

14
What does Glasgow have to offer?

• Most joined up approach
• Striving to meet key goals in Homelessness
  Strategy
• Vibrant mixed economy of services
• Significant role for voluntary sector
• Clear goal of integration with mainstream
  services
• Local and national political commitment