1Wednesday 19 April 2023

Until there’s a home for everyone

Tim Moore, Head of Business Development

Transforming Rehabilitation: Engaging with the New Landscape

Finance, Benefits and Debt

9th December 2013

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Shelter Service Provision: Overview

We deliver Finance, Debt and Benefits Advice in 26 Prisons across the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humberside

We secure or prevent loss of accommodation up to 1000 offenders per month

We deliver Housing, Debt and Welfare advice to c120k clients p.a. through our Helpline and c50k Face to Face across 20 community based services across England. Covering 16 of the 21 CPAs

We estimate that 20% of all Helpline and Face to Face services are ex-offenders

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Why is Finance, Debt and benefits advice Important to Re-offending?

- Accessing Accommodation: Offenders who are homeless are more likely to re-offend, advising offenders on how to maximise income is key to accessing or keeping a home.

- Financial stability is necessary to successfully enter pathways to Employment, Education and Training

- Financial confidence: Having ‘enough to live’ on is key to rehabilitation. Particularly in links to well-being

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Key elements for Contract provision

Peer Mentors: Trained Peer Mentors can relate to offenders in ways staff can’t, as well as providing additional capacity by managing straight forward advice and support.

Independence and Empowerment: Through the provision of financial capability training

Immediate intervention: Ensuring that Financial, Benefit and Debt (FBD) advice is available as soon as possible to maximise the chance of being able to resolve financial problems, especially losing accommodation or increasing debt. 

Integration with other Pathways: FBD will not have the impact if other issues e.g. substance/alcohol misuse are not being addressed in parallel.

Accessing Bank Accounts: 5-6% of low income house holds do not have a bank account, without an account and training on how to manage it, Offender can not access benefits.

Building close partnerships with Job Centre Plus and Local Authorities to support efficient processing of applications and accessing Crisis loans. This is especially important with the introduction of Universal credit.

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Challenges for TR contract Providers

Seamless Provision between Custody and Community Integration with other Interventions: assessments of

need can be very separate Ensuring to staff and offenders on Benefits and Grants are

maintained Ensuring co-ordination: Many organisations provide the

same or similar services in the same locations Maintaining Independence: A benefit in current provision

is Advice being seen as independent from HMP or Probation, increasing likelihood of engagement