Housing Justice ConferenceNight Shelters: Now is the Time

The Local Authority/Sub Regional Perspective

Margaret Williams

East London Housing Partnership

East London Housing Partnership

• Barking and Dagenham• City of London• Hackney• Havering• Newham• Redbridge• Tower hamlets• Waltham Forest

• Registered Providers• Non statutory sector

Growing Needs and Shrinking Budgets

• In the year to 31st March 2013 rough sleeping in the East London sub region rose by 20% *

• 2011/12 822• 2012/13 1022 (683 new)

Figure for whole of London for the same period was 6959

*People seen sleeping rough in the east sub region

Meeting Local Needs

• Local authority provision• Charity/voluntary sector• Faith groups• Community groups

Winter provision 2012/13 • Faith groups access to range of accommodation• Base of volunteers• Extended provision available for longer• Local organisations and faith groups provided 57% of

total bed nights in London

East Sub Region Position

• ELHP Rough Sleeping Strategy

• Local authority rough sleeping strategies

• East London Delivery Board

• Partnership working on coordination of winter provision modelling good practice

What Works -

• Collaboration before projects are set up/opened• Agreed protocols and processes• Consistent service offer message • Joint training• Signposting to local authority for assessment• Working in partnership with other services –

MH/D&A/DV/GPs• Non discriminatory services• Sharing information and best practice• Sharing language services/staff• Reconnection

ESHP PartnershipExample

• Partnership of 8 local authorities and 6 non statutory services

• Working together for 2½ years• Agreed goals• Round table meetings• Solutions focused• Regular contact between meetings• Respecting areas of expertise• Attending each others meetings• Joint presentations to raise awareness• Service user input

• Took time to get here…..

Questions?

Margaret Williams East London Housing Partnership

Margaret.Williams@elhp.org.uk

020 8227 5031

www.elhp.org.uk