Laura Watkins
SECTION
PUTTING
HOUSING
FIRST
A NEW WAY OF ADDRESSING
HOMELESSNESS
T
he weather is drizzly and cold when I meet Jo Prestidge, the Senior Project Manager for Housing First England, for a coffee in January. Just the kind of weather that makes you really appreciate not being homeless. Homelessness is rising in the UK; by 25% for unsheltered homeless people (as opposed to those sofa surfing or in short-term hostels) in the past 10 years. These figures are often met with surprise; the UK has a welfare system, council and social housing available. Sadly, many people who are long-term homeless or unsheltered homeless have multiple needs that prevent them from getting the help they need. Homeless Link is the national membership charity for organisations that work directly with people who become homeless in England. They are working to improve services and campaign for policy change that will help end homelessness. “Housing First is a specific model” explains Jo; “it was pioneered in the 1990’s in New York and offers affordable housing
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NETWORKS
as quickly as possible to those experiencing homelessness. Most importantly, it is accompanied by intensive, wrap-around support to help them keep their home and integrate into society.” Dr. Sam Tsemberis was the founder of Pathways to Housing in New York City in 1992, based on the belief that housing is a human right. It was through his work that the Housing First model was developed and was primarily targeted at those who had mental health problems, issues with addiction, or both. Jo informs me that these are significant factors contributing to increased homelessness in England. However, welfare support, our health system and councils’ homelessness and housing support still “provide the UK with a fairly good safety net for many people, it’s those with complex needs [a combination of, amongst other things, addiction and mental health issues] that struggle to navigate and benefit from the system.” Traditionally, many homelessness services believe that certain criteria
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THERE IS THIS IDEA OF THE DESERVING AND UNDESERVING POOR.
