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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760
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The ‘Supporting People‘ guidelines might have seemed like a good idea at the time
Moving out of hostel accommodation into their own flats in two years. Is this viable? Under current 'Supporting People' (SP) guidelines (targets), hostels will have to move tenants into their own accommodation within two years.
The first question this begs is: why this two-year target? What research was this based on? Is this just another "it seemed like a good idea at the time" idea? Is SP showing the homelessness sector and their tenants that they mean business? Are they flexing their proverbial muscles, wanting results for their not so mega bucks? I ask, because SP payments to organisations have decreased over the last few years.
The two-year turnaround agenda seems flawed. However, to be fair, I have heard it suggested that SP have factored some flexibility into these turnaround times. Maybe they are not such ogres after all - they are just in "flex and relax mode". We shall see. Are they saying two to two-and-a-half years, two to three years, or two to four years? How far will their flexibility stretch - as much as their paymasters will allow?
Now add to the mix the private rented schemes and the back-to-work agenda, and the chronically-dependent, long-term poly-drug user and rough sleeper.
A far more complex picture is starting to emerge. In my experience, this "push 'em through, get 'em working and stabilise their drug/alcohol use and make them ready for independent living in two years" agenda is unworkable and has not been thought through. Take, for instance, the private rented sector. Clients awaiting permanent accommodation will resist going into "private rented" because they fear that they are being left to the vagaries of the housing market (and, if push comes to shove, they are). Rents for private rented accommodation in a lot of cases are twice those in social housing. So for people who already find it difficult to engage with mainstream society, the private sector will only be for a motivated few. I sense this could end up being a costly experiment‚Äö?Ѭ?
There is evidence that long-term dependent substance users have a history of failed tenancies, and use alcohol and illicit drugs on top of their prescribed medication. Drug and alcohol use, in my opinion, are the number one cause of tenancy breakdown.
Dependant substance use brings with it a high level of 'baggage' - non-payment of service charge or rent, tenancies being taken over by other users, predation, dealing, violence and the selling of 'keys' (tenancies), to name but a few.
Will they be "made ready" in two years? Who will be taken to task to deliver these SP targets - the hostels or the drug services?
Lastly, the back-to-work agenda is going to be difficult for people with a history of long-term unemployment, rough sleeping and dependant substance use. I suppose we can force people off benefits and into 'work'. However, in the light of the attitude of "I'm better off on the dole and getting housing benefit than working" and with the promise of lowpaid work, this whole agenda is going to be an uphill struggle.
Within this two-year turnaround period, on their ever decreasing budgets, which of these issues should SP 'be wanting' service providers to address first?
As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, this free market approach to the caring professions is starting to bite. So when this fabrication of agenda-driven outcomes, targets, data collection, job creation schemes (however meaningless) and bidding rounds becomes more about the structures of service delivery than delivering a service, we must be seen as failing in our duty of care to those already marginalised by society.
December 2024 – January 2025 : Solidarity
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 153 : December 2024 – January 2025 : Solidarity
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
- Issue 99 : Sept-Oct 2015
- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
- Issue 95 : March 2015
- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
- Issue 91 : October 2014
- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
- Issue 88 : June 2014
- Issue 87 : May 2014
- Issue 86 : April 2014
- Issue 85 : March 2014
- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
- Issue 82 : November 2013
- Issue 81 : October 2013
- Issue 80 : September 2013
- Issue 79 : June 2013
- Issue 78 : 78
- Issue 77 : 77
- Issue 76 : 76
- Issue 75 : 75
- Issue 74 : 74
- Issue 73 : 73
- Issue 72 : 72
- Issue 71 : 71
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- Issue 69 : 69
- Issue 68 : 68
- Issue 67 : 67
- Issue 66 : 66
- Issue 65 : 65
- Issue 64 : 64
- Issue 63 : 63
- Issue 62 : 62
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- Issue 59 : 59
- Issue 58 : 58
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- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 55 : 55
- Issue 54 : 54
- Issue 53 : 53
- Issue 52 : 52
- Issue 51 : 51
- Issue 50 : 50
- Issue 49 : 49
- Issue 48 : 48
- Issue 47 : 47
- Issue 46 : 46
- Issue 45 : 45
- Issue 44 : 44
- Issue 43 : 43
- Issue 42 : 42
- Issue 5 : 05
- Issue 4 : 04
- Issue 2 : 02
- Issue 1 : 01
- Issue 41 : 41
- Issue 40 : 40
- Issue 39 : 39
- Issue 38 : 38
- Issue 37 : 37
- Issue 36 : 36
- Issue 35 : 35
- Issue 34 : 34
- Issue 33 : 33
- Issue 10 : 10
- Issue 9 : 09
- Issue 6 : 06
- Issue 3 : 03
- Issue 32 : 32
- Issue 31 : 31
- Issue 30 : 30
- Issue 29 : 29
- Issue 11 : 11
- Issue 12 : 12
- Issue 13 : 13
- Issue 14 : 14
- Issue 15 : 15
- Issue 16 : 16
- Issue 17 : 17
- Issue 18 : 18
- Issue 19 : 19
- Issue 20 : 20
- Issue 21 : 21
- Issue 22 : 22
- Issue 23 : 23
- Issue 24 : 24
- Issue 25 : 25
- Issue 8 : 08
- Issue 7 : 07
- Issue 26 : 26
- Issue 27 : 27
- Issue 28 : 28
- Issue 1 : 01