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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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The Snow report

June 06 2010
The Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow launches guidelines to improve hostel services Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow has launched a new set of guidelines to improve hostel services for homeless people.

Mr Snow, who is chairman of the New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre near London's King's Cross and a stockist of The Pavement, said "these new service standards will ensure that people get excellent services when they go to participating centres".

The new Day Centre Standards have been developed by the London Housing Foundation, in partnership with some of London's biggest day centres. A number have already signed up to the guidelines, including Providence Row in the East End. There are five key areas in the new guidelines:

• Accessibility: points include "Provide a welcoming environment"
• Focus on change, such as "Deliver planned support to help people improve their lives"
• Working with people who use the centres as "partners"
• Working with local authorities, agencies and communities
• Employing excellent people.

In detail, most of the guidelines boil down to providing information about services and support, encouraging people to improve their lives (and evaluating how their progress) and using guests' feedback to improve and shape services.

More paperwork and government-jargon or giving power and dignity back to day centre visitors? You decide.
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