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A warm welcome to Multiple Disadvantage Matters, the fortnightly newsletter from the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) coalition.
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Changes to the MEAM team
Tassie Weaver, Head of Networks and Operations, is now on maternity leave and we are pleased to announce Safia Cragg as our new Interim Head of Networks and Operations. Following the recent departure of Steve Moffatt to a new role in Ireland, Laura Greason will be temporarily stepping up as Senior Policy Manager to support the work of our embedded policy team.
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Homelessness statistics demonstrate prevalence of multiple disadvantage
The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has published official statistics on statutory homelessness in England between 1 October and 31 December 2020. The figures include a breakdown of support needs, demonstrating the prevalence of multiple disadvantage amongst the homelessness population. The most common support need identified was a history of mental health problems which was reported in 15,710 households (25.2%). Other notable groups included those with experience of or at risk of domestic abuse (11.1%), those with drug or alcohol dependency (12.3%), and those with an offending history (10.4%).
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Latest ONS figures for alcohol related deaths
The Office for National Statistics has published figures for alcohol related deaths for the final quarter of 2020. There were 1,963 alcohol-specific deaths registered between October to December 2020, and a total of 7,423 deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the last year. This is a 19.6% increase compared with 2019 and the highest annual figure recorded in 20 years.
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Staffing main concern over probation reunification
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) has published a new report A thematic review of work to prepare for the unification of probation services. The report examines how senior leaders, managers and staff are preparing for the upcoming changes and highlights that while the reforms are broadly on track concerns persist in relation to staffing, with southern regions in particular struggling to attract qualified probation officers.
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MHCLG Rough Sleeping Funding announced
Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has announced the allocation of an additional £203 million Rough Sleeping Initiative funding to 210 areas across England to tackle rough sleeping. The allocations will be used by local authorities, charities and other organisations in around 281 areas. In addition, the department has launched the £1 million Capital stream as part of its Winter Transformation Fund. The Capital stream is available to the homelessness, faith, community and voluntary sectors for adaptations and renovations needed to provide single room/ self-contained and COVID-19 secure accommodation during winter. The pre-application questionnaire is now open.
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Resources From the Sector
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Support don’t deport
Changes to the Immigration Rules published in October made rough sleeping grounds for refusing or cancelling a person’s right to remain in the UK. New guidance published last month has clarified the Government’s intended approach. In response, Homeless Link has launched a new Support Don’t Deport campaign asking local authorities and homelessness services to sign up to their immigration pledge.
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Community sentence treatment requirements in action
Publishing the first in a series of blogs looking at the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTR) programme, Clinks have joined with Nacro to take a look at the Essex CSTR site. The CSTR programme aims to reduce reoffending and divert people from short-term custodial sentences by addressing mental health and substance and alcohol misuse issues through treatment requirements that are undertaken in the community.
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Racism exists in the criminal justice system: why the Sewell report falls short
In March 2021, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published a report on race disparities in the UK – also known as the Sewell report. Zahra Wynne, Health and Justice Policy and Development Officer at Clinks, has published a blog on the report’s findings and why they do a disservice to the lived experience of racially minoritised people in the criminal justice system, including an examination of the extensive body of evidence that structural racism is at the root of overrepresentation.
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Survey: Resources around Death and Bereavement
The Museum of Homelessness (MoH) is developing resources for the sector around death and bereavement of people experiencing homelessness. Earlier this year, Homeless Link and the MoH released findings that 976 people who were experiencing homelessness had died in the UK during 2020. The MoH have now opened a survey to collect views from the sector on what guidance for people experiencing homelessness and people working or volunteering with homeless people would be useful. You can complete the survey here.
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Webinar: A crossroads for migrant homelessness - where from here?
Homeless Link are hosting a webinar looking at the immigration rules published in October last year relevant to people who are rough sleeping. They will discuss the newly published guidance, highlight local good practice delivered within the current legislative framework, and consider the upcoming deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme. Book your free place now
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Centre for Homelessness Impact: End it with evidence
The Centre for Homelessness Impact recently launched the ‘End it with Evidence’ campaign, which calls for greater experimentation and better use of evidence in efforts to end homelessness. They will be running a week-long series of talks from 7-11th June, including workshops and discussions on how to use evidence and data to tackle homelessness. Registrations will open shortly.
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Keeping you up to date at this time
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Our priority in this difficult period remains people facing multiple disadvantage and the people who support them. If you have any questions, comments or issues you would like to raise, please contact any member of the MEAM team.
Multiple Disadvantage Matters will keep you up to date with key policy developments affecting people facing multiple disadvantage. Please forward this email to colleagues, who can subscribe here for future editions.
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