Notes from the Homelessness consultation



Notes from Southend Homeless Action Network (SHAN) MeetingHeld at SCF’s Plaza Centre on Tuesday 8th January 2019Attendees (30): Del Thomas (Off the Streets & Street Spirit); Colin Ball (One Love); John Levy (YMCA); Stanford Biti (CAST); Salvo [aka the Southend Clown] (Homeless Street Hub); Mark James (YMCA); Susanna Silva (SoS Adult & Community College); Tricia North (SoS Adult & Community College); Cllr Tony Cox (SoS Borough Council); Helen Rhodes (57 West & a Street Pastor); Mike Buss (Rochford Recovery College); Charles (CAST); Sian Hines (SBC); Lisa Hawkins (SBC); Gary Turner (HARP); Andrew Marshall (HARP); Jackie Bliss (CEO, HARP); Rob Marsh (Rosemead); Warren Richardson (photo journalist); Carrie Wade (Mama’s Soup Kitchen); Suzanne Firman (Mama’s Soup Kitchen); Hannah (CAST); Paul Hill (SBC); Terry Adams (CGL STARS); Cliff Murrell (CGL STARS); Rob Carvosso (The Storehouse); Inspector Ian Hughes (Essex Police); Peter Courtenay (Street Pastor); John Simmons (Co-Ordinator, SoS Churches Winter Night Shelters) [Notes]; and John Barber (Street Spirit) [Chair].Apologies (5): Kirsty Fields (Off the Streets); Karen Fields (Off the Streets); Trish Carpenter (Citizen’s Advice, SoS); Jonathan Cutter (Peabody Complex Needs Hostel); Sonia Woods (Citizen’s Advice, SoS); Natasha Dillow; Majzoub Ali; Jean Broadbent (SoS Healthwatch); Glyn Halksworth (Group Manager, Housing & Social Inclusion, SBC); Elsa Moore (Rough Sleeper Co-Ordinator, SBC); Derek Edwards (Citizen’s Advice, SoS)N.B. Action Points are in bold underlined italics.1. Welcome and Introductions.John B. welcomed all to the meeting and reminded all present about the “Rules of Engagement” for these meetings:- We are SHAN; we are about Southend; the Homeless; and Action; and are a Network of concerned people working to move the homeless onto a better place.We don’t discuss individual cases at the meetings, although anonymous examples can be given to make a point.We don’t have a go at each other for perceived shortcomings.He then thanked SCF for their hospitality.Please send all additions and amendments to the Contact List to John B. (at jjandm.barber@blueyonder.co.uk) asap.Everyone then briefly introduced themselves by name, organisation and role. 2. Minutes, Action Points and Matters Arising from our last meeting (13/11/18).a) The minutes were accepted.b) Matters Arising:-John B. reported that the “Rough Sleeper” Leaflet is still at version 3.5 and is available at . John already knows about a number of changes (and any others are welcome), so he will update it to version 3.6 asap. He is not proposing this time to print the leaflet but if that is something others wish to do, then please let him know.Housing Strategy: Cllr Tony Cox reported that he would send this (and the Homeless Action Plan) to John B. for the minutes. The Rough Sleeper Count on 22nd November was understood to be 38 (Correction: it has been confirmed the true count was 11) . John B. will see if Glyn (or someone else from SBC) will be available to present it at our next meeting.Note subsequent to the meeting Jackie Bliss has prepared a paper on the count. John B to consider including discussion on this at the next meeting.Healthwatch: It is up to us to contact them with any concerns.Streetlink: Del reported that the criteria for reporting Rough Sleepers have changed recently; they now have to be bedded down at night. (Note this was later questioned: Regardless, it is preferable that people continue to make referrals regardless of whether someone is bedded down or not)3. Off the Streets (OtS) - Update (Del Thomas).Del apologised that his two colleagues were not present: Karen is unwell and Kirstie is at A&E with a guest. As most will know, OtS didn’t get the change of use approved; they haven’t appealed, yet.The relationship with HARP is working well, but the relationship with SBC is not so good. They have meetings with both in the next few days and will be working hard to improve the relationship with SBC.Cllr. Tony Cox intervened to say that the meeting is more about what SBC could do to find another building for OtS. He wants to make it work! He also reported that Glyn Halksworth has been temporarily promoted to be Director of Adult Services and Housing (to replace Sharon Houlden who has moved to York). SBC are taking the opportunity to review the structure but, in the meantime, Sally ?? will head up Adult Social Care. (Note: further update Following Sharon’s departure, Housing & Adult Social Care have been split into separate directorates, so Glyn’s title is Interim Director of Housing. Someone else is interim director of Adult Services (Sarah Baker))Del reported that in their 15 weeks, 16 of their guests have found permanent accommodation. They hope another 4 will also be housed soon once their Universal Credit has been sorted.They are trying innovative methods to raise funds (e.g. a 24 hour Bikeathon on 16th Feb.). The first ?1000 will be used to fund a Publically Accessible Defibrillator (PAD) to be placed in Westborough Ward. Cllr. Tony Cox again intervened to report that there will soon be PADs at every school gate in Southend.Del said that they would be having an assessment for the Housing Justice Quality Mark at the end of January.4. Southend Churches Winter Night Shelters (SCWNS) - Update (John Simmons).John S. reported the following key stats after the first 4 weeks:-28 nights x 20 beds = 560 bed nights available; 470 were filled (84%).At capacity (20) on 2 nights and over capacity on 4 more nights.52 guests have stayed at least 1 night; 2 have stayed every night.10 are “off the streets”: (4 in HARP’s Bradbury Hostel; 2 in HARP’s WHH; 3 in HARP’s “Sit up” service; and 1 housed via OtS) + 3 are now in OtS.More than 60 potential guests were not able to have a bed (most because they were referred, but didn't arrive; or they just came for a meal)Our volunteers have already contributed approx. 2400 hours which if we had paid them at the Adult Living Wage (?7.50 ph) would have cost approx. ?18,000.The two new host churches (Sacred Heart and 57 West) are going well.Having an assessment for the Housing Justice Quality Mark on Thursday (10/01/19).There is a big group of guests with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Cllr Tony Cox said that this hadn’t gone un-noticed by SBC. If they have funds, they are welcome to approach SBC’s Private Sector Housing Team but they need to be aware that there is a shortage of affordable properties. He added that the law is clear: if you have NRPF, then you have to be able to support yourself; if not, you may be liable to deportation back to your home country. He is aware of the counter arguments regarding trafficking / fleeing persecution.Given NRPF is a big issue with many practical ramification John B to consider including a slot at the next SHAN meeting to discuss some of theseJohn S. mentioned the papers attached to the minutes of the last meeting. He will send them to anyone who requests them.5. Police - update (Insp. Ian Hughes).Operation High Street (14/11/18): 73 people from 30 agencies; lots of good work and good feedback.Operation Leigh (17/01/19): will be covering Leigh Broadway and Leigh Road tackling e.g. displacement of rough sleepers and beggars with street surveys, residential surveys, licensing checks and homeless outreach. If want to be involved, please contact him asap - it’s a great opportunity for networking and cross-agency working.Operation Aident (v Modern Day Slavery, etc): The next effort will be in wc 27/01/19 and then roughly every 4 months. There will be times of partnership working, and a meeting of the Southend Against Modern Slavery Partnership (SAMS). But it is an on-going operation with material on social media and an education programme.The Community Action Group (CAG): This group looks at the most difficult problems referred to it. If accepted they are passed to the existing Task and Finish group for investigation and resolution. If not, they are passed to the new Community MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Centre). It will be chaired by Ian or the Community Safety Manager; homeless people will be discussed there. The Anti-Social Behaviour Order Group (ASBOG) closed 6 months munity Safety Officers: The team have been in place since mid-October. This interim team is 6 strong, are based in the Travel Centre and work 09:00 - 18:00 most days with extensions as required for special events. They achieved many successes with referrals to HARP and other agencies that have meant some rough sleepers are now accommodated. They will be replaced by a permanent team by the end of February - interviews are being held now. It will be based at the Police Station and the team will have some enforcement powers (including actions under the proposed Public Space Protection order [PSPO]). Cllr Tony Cox said that SBC are looking at how all the Council enforcement teams could be combined (inc. the Foreshore Officers who cover from Shoebury to Leigh) and be given additional powers but not arrest. Del Thomas asked if the PSPO was out for consultation yet? Tony Cox replied that there was a meeting about it that afternoon; he will send an update for the minutes. Ian said that the PSPO would not be Borough-wide, but would be intelligence lead. Tony Cox agreed, but said the Council may use Byelaws in the parks. John B. will invite the chair of the CAG (Neil Pudney) and/or his deputy (Carl Robinson) to the next SHAN meeting. He will also invite Dan Pratt to give us an update about Modern Slavery. (It was felt that Carl and/or Neil would be able to give some background as to why the CAG was set up and what it did.)Cllr Tony Cox suggested that the next day of activity should be in Southchurch Road, and following ones could cover Shoebury / Eastwood / the London Road / Westborough.6. SBC Update (Cllr Tony Cox).Cllr Tony Cox reported that the Council have recently appointed a Rough Sleeper Co-Ordinator (Elsa Moore); she will manage the funding received under the Rough Sleeper Initiative. Peter Courtenay asked how all the commissioned services are meant to be working together. He gave an example of a WNS guest who was desperate because he had been rejected by HARP, Peabody and SBC and had been found by the Street Pastors. The Street Pastors need to know how they can verify the stories they hear and how they can contact the Outreach Teams. Gary Turner said he would be happy to discuss this outside the meeting. Sian Hines said she would put a leaflet together explaining the processes regarding benefits and send it to John B. and John S. for the minutes.7. Safeguarding, Data Protection, etc. (Jackie Bliss, CEO HARP).Jackie first gave a quick update:HARP opened 3 new properties in December with 15 bed spaces; they are already 80% full.They are changing the service model for some of their propertied so as to be able to deal with those with more complex needs.They obtained the mortgage that she mentioned at the last meeting and have bough the property near the Kursaal. It may take 2 years to renovate, but will then provide another 28 bed spaces. This will mean HARP will have almost 200 bed spaces across Southend.Recruitment for a number of vacancies is going well; see the website for the latest ones.Safeguarding (Staff Safety and Security):The Night Shelter has always been staffed 24/7, but the Day Centre is now also staffed 24/7 because of the overnight “Sit Up” service.There has been a noticeable increase in abuse of, and threats to, staff both inside and outside the premises. So they now employ security staff 24/7 and they have access to the “Town link” radio system and have already had to use the red panic button 6 times this year (equivalent to a 999 call to the police). They have restricted lone working and all staff now have personal panic alarms.Because if their open door policy, anyone could walk in; they just have to be very careful.Sometimes, a short-term exclusion is the only option. Clients may well report that HARP have thrown them out or that HARP won’t help them, but they have a duty of care to their staff.Better ideas are welcome and everyone can visit; please ring to arrange it.Andrew Marshall added that if people are making real efforts, HARP will allow some slack. He agreed with Cllr Tony Cox that most of the problems are because, having helped the 80% “easier” cases, they are now dealing with the 20% most difficult people.Data Sharing (Jackie handed over to Gary Turner):Gary said that GDPR has focused everybody on the importance of doing the right thing in the right way as regards sharing data about clients/guests/service users.HARP and Off the Streets piloted a data-sharing agreement and secure method; this was successful so the same agreement and method is now being used by the WNSs.So HARP now have Partnership Agreements and Data Sharing Agreements with Off the Streets, the WNSs and The Storehouse.They also have secure data-sharing with all the other outreach services and some other agencies via the DISC system procured by the SoS BID.Gary emphasised that the GDPR does allow data-sharing for safeguarding purposes.Health Needs Audit (Gary Turner):The last one was done in 2012; it was an on-line survey hosted by Homeless Link. In Southend, there 218 respondees, and the data was used by the Public Health Team to inform the CCG particularly with regard to the homeless.Despite that, the CCG stopped the contract for a GP and nurse to be at the Bradbury one day a week and also stopped the contract that allowed Dr. Bekas to concentrate on homeless patients! His patients have been dispersed to other GPs. The survey will be repeated in February with a target of 500 respondees locally. In order to do that, Gary is looking for partners (inc. soup kitchens) who will help their contacts fill in the survey on-line or on paper; training is available. Please contact him asap. 8. The Future of SHAN (John Barber).John B. briefly introduced this subject by saying there is an opportunity to reflect whether any changes are needed to the Chair(!), and the attendees at, and the structure of, the meetings.There will be time to discuss this at the next meeting.Cllr Tony Cox suggested that perhaps more work could be done between meetings; and that the agenda asks for updates to be given before, rather than during, the meeting.9. Round the Room (Selected - because of time).Mama’s Soup Kitchen: Carrie and Suzanne explained that they had been running since 10th October. They are in the Clarence Road car park from 13:30 - 16:00 on Sundays. They saw 60 people last Sunday. There have been some problems and they have had to bar some for 2 weeks. Over the summer (April - October), they will only be there once per month.Warren: Warren said, that during his current stint on the streets of Southend, he had discovered one big thing: on Saturdays and Sundays, there is nowhere for the rough sleepers to go! Del Thomas agreed that this is the number one complaint from the WNS guests.Andrew Marshall explained that HARP had asked the Council for funding to run a 7 day service, but only got enough to fund Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights. Then the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government asked that they run a 7 nights/week “sit-up” provision, but that meant they couldn’t also provide a service over the weekend. Jackie Bliss said they were fund-raising to be able to do this. Cllr Tony Cox asked if it would reduce criminality if the HARP Day Centre was open 7 days a week. Insp. Ian Hughes said it definitely would! Cllr Tony Cox asked Andrew to e-mail him about this.Helen Rhodes asked if the Council could help with funding for the breakfasts that All Saints provide for rough sleepers every Tuesday.Tricia North said that if there is somewhere, the rough sleepers could go, then the College could help create activities for them.Note: subsequent to the SHAN meeting there have been exchanges on this matter. John B to present and facilitate an opportunity to provide a position statement on this matter.Cliff Murrell (Dual Diagnosis Worker at CGL STARS):Cliff explained that the RSI money given to SBC had funded 6 outreach workers: Terry and him at STARS; 2 from HARP and 2 from Peabody.Between them, they do street outreach from 06:00 - ??:?? during the week and from 20:00 - 03:00 at the weekends. They cover all areas (including the Soup Kitchens, One Love, the WNSs & HARP).They have made some inroads and can use personal budgets to get people into B&Bs if it is very cold.Mike Buss (Reach Mental Health Recovery College):Mike explained that this is a charity run by Trust Links.It is situated in Rochford next to the old Rochford Adult Community College which is being demolished.They run groups and courses for those suffering from or recovering from mental health issues.Please contact Mike for more info.Rob Carvosso (The Storehouse): Rob reported that they are currently running under a 10 year lease that ends in June.Under the Better Queensway (BQ) plan, the 440 housing units will become 1500. The Vineyard/Storehouse is represented on the BQ panel. Rob stressed they are not being kicked out by SBC, but have been looking for another venue for the last 3 years; they are now looking to buy the Trade Counter. They are waiting for finance (mortgage) and will need a change of use, one condition for which will be that it cannot be used between 22:00 and 08:00 (so won’t be able to a WNS venue).The church service is 3 hours on a Sunday whereas The Storehouse is open for 60 hours Monday - Saturday. They will be reviewing their opening times and activities.Colin Ball (One Love):Colin reported that they are still at the building site next to the Civic Centre.They are a bit puzzled by the recent small numbers attending, but are still there each Monday and Thursday.10. Close: John B. thanked everyone for attending and hoped they had enjoyed the meeting.11.The next SHAN Meeting will be on:- The booked dates for 2019 are 12th March; and 14th May; and Provisionally: 9th July; 10th September; and 12th November.All meetings are 11:00 - 13:00 at The Plaza Centre (600 Southchurch Road, SS1 2PT).Version 2: 18/02/19 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download