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Flint announces next steps to link housing advice and opportunities

Housing Minister Caroline Flint announced a package of measures today to step-up action to tackle worklessness, promote opportunity and strengthen the link between access to housing services, training and jobs.

Speaking at a Housing Corporation stakeholder event on worklessness Caroline Flint announced how £70 million will be allocated to 69 homeless projects across England to ensure that those getting hostel accommodation are also supported and encouraged to find employment. Projects include training for residents to learn practical skills from catering to sound engineering, through to self-financing social enterprises such as cafes and furniture making. There will be help for homeless people to set up their own social enterprises - from a farm in West Dorset, a Sports Academy in Gateshead to a surfing school in Newquay.

Caroline Flint said:

"Over the past three years, the Places of Change programme has helped transform derelict dormitories into places which genuinely transform the lives of homeless people - breaking cycles of chaos and dependency and helping people rebuild their lives through training, volunteering and working. The number of formerly homeless people moving into independent living is up by thirty per cent as a result. We will now be measuring success through the numbers moving into training and work."

At a major meeting of housing providers, stakeholders and the Housing Corporation in London, the minister also announced:-

• A prospectus inviting 15 local authorities to pioneer an enhanced 'housing options' service. Moving away from a one-size fits all approach, these services will offer advice about all the options on offer - from social housing to private sector renting and low cost home ownership. Advice won't be restricted to housing, but will also look at people's overall circumstances - whether they need advice on childcare, training, or employment. This approach is already working successfully for those at risk of becoming homeless, but now the principles will help people in need before they reach crisis point.
• A new Employment Academy for London by Thames Reach will help hundreds of rough sleepers and homeless people into education, training and employment. To be funded by £4million of new investment and based south of the Thames, it will include employment advice, activities, skills training and social enterprise helping homeless people learn new skills. There will a social enterprise restaurant providing support and skills training as well as meals, run by chef Simon Boyle. It will also provide business start-up advice and fund training in painting, decorating and maintenance for teams of 'handymen' employed by Lambeth Council.
• Two new stakeholder groups headed by independent experts in the housing sector looking at potential incentives, obligations and support for those entering social housing to help them take up employment. Jane Slowey, Chief Executive of the Foyer Federation, will lead the 'Incentives and Obligations' policy group. June Barnes will head the 'Housing Support' group which will look at support tenants may need to move into work and how this might best be delivered.
• The CIH will develop good practice guidance for housing providers on tackling worklessness, sponsored by the Housing Corporation.

Caroline Flint said:

"The debate that I started a few weeks ago will continue over the coming months. And the more that I've talked to those working in the sector, the more impressed I've been with the work that is already going on to try and address these issues; social landlords are getting involved in a whole range of activities not just to tackle worklessness, but to overcome economic inequality and promote social mobility."

The Minister also spoke of the challenges facing those living in social housing - like the number of young people coming into social housing at risk of slipping into the intergenerational inactivity experienced by their parents and grandparents, as well as families - particularly those in work but on low wages - who are finding it almost impossible to access social housing.

The announcements come as for the first time since 1983, 2007 saw more social houses built than lost through Right to Buy.

She continued:

"2007 was the first time since 1983 that we built more social houses than we lost through Right to Buy. And now, as we embark on a major programme which will replenish the stock of social housing - with 45,000 social homes to be built every year from 2010, for the first time in thirty years or more we can set our ambitions higher- beyond simply worrying about how we allocate an increasingly finite resource but thinking more deeply about the role of social housing and how we ensure it offers the springboard to opportunity that was available to previous generations."

As John Hills made clear in his 2007 report in 2004 a third of people living in social housing had incomes within the poorest fifth of the income distribution. Latest statistics show that over half of working age social tenants are workless compared to 34 per cent in 1981. For young people entering the sector, the picture is even worse: 80 per cent of new RSL tenants aged 16-24 are without work.

Note to editors

The Places of Change Programme (PCP) is a 3 year programme which will run from 2008 to 2011. It builds on the success of the 2005-08 Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP). PCP aims to continue to improve the services available to rough sleepers so they can make the transition from the street to a settled home; to increase the number of people moving on from their hostel or homelessness service in a positive way; and to increase the number moving into education and employment.

Jenny Edwards, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, the national umbrella organisation for frontline homelessness agencies, said:

"We know that there is great talent, expertise and potential in the people who use homelessness services. This funding provides opportunities for truly innovative projects that will inspire people to move away from the streets for good. Homeless Link looks forward to working not only with those projects that were successful in this funding round, but with all those that embrace the ethos of the Places of Change Programme."

The full list of projects is available to download below.

Download

• List of projects (MS Word, 186 kb, 11 pages)

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