Preventing & Tackling Youth Homelessness

Meeting Needs through Innovation and PbR:A Provider’s Perspective

Rebecca Pritchard (former Youth Homelessness Specialist Adviser)

About KipperSmall, specialist local providers: 30+ years

experience of working with young homeless people in the East End

Supported housing offer – focused on enabling transitions to independence , Education, Training and Employment specialist support and mediation

Board support for innovation and informed risk taking in recognition of challenges and increasing pressures faced by young people which require new responses

ContextCuts in public expenditureYouth unemployment at its highest level in 20 years:

(Homeless Link “Young & Homeless 2013”; January 2014). Lack of affordable housing - increasing numbers of young

people remaining in childhood homes into their 30s – but not always feasible if overcrowding, poverty and violence an issue**

Local authority services increasingly focused on those where a statutory duty is owed, rather than addressing needs regardless of legal status

Welfare Reform High risk of financial exclusion if young people don’t

comply and engage with job seeker requirementsReduced options for young people in terms of move on

into PRS – greater competition; SAR & LHA caps reduce options**

Greater demand for smaller units for downsizing as a result of the spare room subsidy – reducing affordable move on

Homelessness Acceptances for Young People – to whom a statutory duty is owed

Cliff edgeHomeless 16- 17 year olds

Homeless 18 – 24 year olds

Anxiety & depression (52%) Involvement in crime/ ASB (39%) Substance misuse problem (37%) Exposed to violence in the home

(40%) Been on child protection register

(12%)(DCLG 2008)

Statutory responsibility to providehousing and support – Children’sServices and Housing

We don’t know, but...Needs and vulnerabilities

don’t disappear on 18th birthday

Research into entrenched rough sleepers found sofa surfing, street drinking, needs led offending, custodial sentences and IV drug use occurred between 18 – 21 years (DCLG 2012)

No statutory responsibility toprovide ( unless care leavers)

Multiply-excluded rough sleepers:

median age of first occurrence of common experiences

Experience Percentage

15 Used solvents, gas or glue 23% 17 Left local authority care 16% 17 Thrown out by parents/carers 36% 17 Had sex or engaged in sex act in exchange for money, drugs, etc. 10%

18 Involved in street drinking 53% 19 Used hard drugs 44% 20 Had a period in life when had six or more alcoholic drinks on a

daily basis 63%

20 Stayed with friends or relatives because had no home of own 77%

20 Shoplifted because needed things like food, drugs, alcohol or money for somewhere to stay

38%

20 Were a victim of violent crime (including domestic violence) 43%

21 Went to prison 46% 22 Had a period in life when very anxious or depressed 79%

22 Injected drugs 27% 26 Slept rough 77% 26 Admitted to hospital because of a mental health issue 29%

Fitzpatrick, S., Bramley, B. & Johnsen, S. Pathways into Multiple Exclusion Homelessness in Seven UK Cities, Urban Studies, 2013

Unmet needs and poor outcomes

In London, 719 people aged 18-25 were seen rough sleeping in the year to March 2013, compared with 624 in the previous year. http://www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN/Reports/StreettoHomeReports.html

Homelessness a risk factor for young people – leading to increased long term negative outcomes: poor emotional/ mental health (BMA 2003); lower academic achievement; increased risk of insecure low paid jobs or unemployment; long term homelessness (Shelter 2006).

1. Minimise Demand: Education

work in schools /other

places on reality of housing choices

2. Reduce Demand &

CrisisEarly

intervention targeted to keep young

people in family network

3. Reduce/ Avert Crisis

Plan & prepare with those at

risk of homelessness BEFORE they are in crisis

4. Single Integrated Service

GatewayPrevention,

assessment of need, planning advice &

optionsAND access to other

services e.g. ETE & Job Centre

PlusRange of health

servicesLife skills

Benefits advice

5. Supported accommodation as a

starting point for those with higher needs or younger

age (16/17)6. Floating Support in

accommodation - likely to be shared in private rented

sector

8. Young person is ready to

make their next move with minimal/no

support and is positively

engaged in ETE

Steps 5-7 Young people can access 3 broad options

and move between them until they are ready to move

on.

7. Shared student style accommodation for those in

FE, employment or apprenticeship with “light

touch” support

Positive Pathways for Young People

Challenges to current models Pathways not always established/ gaps remainServices challenged to cater for all levels of

need/supervision required – not always able to meet the highest needs groups or flex outside service specifications

Re-tendering forcing a rush to the bottom? Loss of skills from the work-force...

Increasing levels of need and risk seen in the YP we work with, but pressure to reduce the length of stay for young people in - expected to do more with more complex young people in less time

Unrealistic expectations continue regarding housing options from YP – can lead to disengagement if housing the focus

Need for new responses?Traditional supported housing models - being tested by

greater complexity and risk profiles of young people:Complexity of needs – challenging behaviour, substance

misuse and related dealing, risk taking, vulnerability, communication difficulties

Gangs, history of violence Excluded from services – nowhere left to go...?

Return home – not always safe; may precipitate future crisis & rupture with family

Sofa surfing Adult homelessness services – not always suitable for YP Rough sleeping Offending – criminal justice system “accommodates”

Uncertain futures...Zac – 19 years olds; moved

into supported housing for young homeless people; suffered from drug induced psychosis; sectioned 3 times; set fire to flat; had to leave; older sister sent him home to family in Bangladesh; he returned but only option is large hostel for adult men...

Dave – 20 years old; had offending history and started drug dealing; not placed; left to sofa surf with “friends” and acquaintances...

Baz – 19 years old; vulnerable and immature; lacked insight into his behaviour and had history of assault; not placed – ended up in a 150 bed hostel for adult men with no young person focused support...

Fred – 21 years old; significant cocaine and cannabis use (£300+ per week); posed risk to other young people and self; not placed – struggled on at home until ended up in custody...

Need for creativityYoung people say its..The importance of the relationship‘Stickability’ of the key person/peoplePeople doing what they say they willWorkers being realistic and challengingBut also being positive even when it gets tough

Agencies say its…Small caseloadsPersonalised approachHighly skilled staffAccess to specialist therapeutic servicesAccess to affordable housingBeing creative Focusing on positives

Young Person

PreventionIntensive work to

enable YP to stay at home

Social CapitalProactively building support networks

and creating capital for the YP & whole

family

Psychosocial InterventionsCBT, coaching, counselling...

ReconnectionsFresh starts with

intensive resettlement

supportHousing FirstModels of intensive

support in s/c accommodation

Adding CapacityAdditional

support into existing services

Personalised Budgets & Brokerage Creative

responses enabled (safe & legal) to

achieve outcomes

Work FirstUnderwrite PRS

rent shortfalls for agreed period to establish YP in

work

Contingency Management

Incentivise engagement and

outcomes for the YP

Opportunities to

innovate

PbR Partnerships: Unlocking Potential -transforming outcomes for young people

Social Investors

enabling innovation &

flexibility

Providers

engagement expertise & creativity

Local Authorit

iesreferrals & pathways

YP