Welfare Reform on the Web (February 2005): Homelessness - Overseas

COMING OF AGE

J. Pannell and G. Palmer

UK Coalition on Older Homelessness, 2004

Older people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness need special consideration in strategic planning and service delivery, through the provision of specialist services or through schemes to train staff of generic services to take account of their needs. Report covers causes of older homelessness and the limitations of homelessness legislation, before proposing cost-effective solutions

COMPLICATED PROBLEMS, COMPLICATED SOLUTIONS: HOMELESSNESS AND JOINED UP POLICY RESPONSES

M. Roche

Social Policy and Administration, vol.38, 2004, p.758-774

Problems facing homeless people are multifaceted and can include substance misuse, mental illness, unemployment, debt and domestic violence as well as lack of accommodation. Multi-agency working is essential to meeting these diverse needs, but local authority homelessness services have traditionally focussed on accommodation provision. Results of a study in Wolverhampton have revealed a number of barriers to service integration including lack of resources, weak leadership, conflicting motivations and ethos among service providers, and failure to share information. Suggests that the development of "one-stop-shops" offering access to housing, employment, healthcare, social services and training could help.

KEEPING THE NUMBERS DOWN

B. Rashleigh

Roof, Jan/Feb. 2005, p.18-21

In order to meet government targets and reduce use of local bed and breakfast accommodation, local authority homelessness officers are coming under increasing pressure to bring down the number of people they accept as statutory homeless. As a result increasing numbers of vulnerable people are having obstacles thrown in their way to prevent them from making a homelessness application.