a newseason · 20 housing justice hosting project housing justice england, london now, as the...

a NewSeasonSupporting Night Shelter projects to plan for Winter 2020: Case studies and examples of new methods of delivering support to people experiencing homelessness

4 From a seven night rotating Shelter to a static venue Ipswich Winter Night Shelter – Selig Trust

6 Re-purposing a Static Shelter to respond to the ‘Everybody In’ Initiative Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness, Kingston Upon Thames

8 From a Night Shelter to private rented housing Enterprise Homes Group

10 Private rented and shared houses with community support Hope into Action

12 Self-contained accommodation Hope 4 Havering

14 From a Night Shelter to a hotel for asylum seekers Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Migrants

16 From a Night Shelter to hotel and supported housing Firm Foundation Night Shelter, Harrow

18 Building the stronghold within: the Citadel model of Mentoring and Befriending Housing Justice Cymru

20 Housing Justice Hosting Project Housing Justice England, London

Now, as the country emerges from the initial lockdown leaving us to face a severe recession and the social cost of the pandemic, many night shelter projects, churches and faith and community groups are planning how they can respond to homelessness this winter as we seek to avoid a second wave and potential lockdown whilst keeping the most vulnerable people in society safe.

As we write this, in July 2020, the public health position on night shelters remains that dormitory style night shelters are not currently safe to open and rotating shelters look unlikely to be able to open for the winter. Many projects have been left to plan to deliver their projects in a completely different setting this winter.

Introduction

In January 2020, Winter Night Shelters in England and Wales provided 2,600 beds to those experiencing homelessness with more than 9,000 people experiencing hospitality within those projects during the winter months.

Just a few weeks later, the entire Winter Night Shelter Network had been decanted into self contained accommodation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This response undoubtedly saved lives, thanks often to the perseverance and persistence of shelter staff and volunteers.

To help with this planning Housing Justice is publishing a first volume of projects working together with local authorities, commissioned services and community resources to bring new, often innovative provision on line so that no one returns to rough sleeping.

The ideas, projects and case studies contained here are not an exhaustive list of the options available, but they are intended to demonstrate what others have been doing and where they have found effective ways of supporting people in this challenging environment.

If you are interested in learning more or need support in taking your plans for this season to the next stage please get in touch with a member of the Housing Justice team.

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter NetworkA New Season 3

Contents

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter Network A New Season2

About the ShelterThe Selig Suffolk Trust is a registered charity that supports the delivery of the following projects in and around Ipswich:

Ipswich Winter Night Shelter Ipswich Hope into Action

Selig’s Trustees offer their professional expertise to govern these projects.

The Winter Night Shelter in Ipswich had been working towards a move to a single venue (from the circuit model) since a trial in 2018/19. Feedback from this trial was positive from volunteers, guests and staff. All were clear on the benefits of a single site.

ScenarioFrom a seven night rotating Shelter to a static venue

LocationIpswich

The new modelA town centre building was found and the charity was given planning permission in May 2020 to use this for all their work – including the winter shelter.

The building was already in need of refurbishment, but in response to the changing demands since the pandemic, five individual guest bedrooms with en suite facilities will be developed. This will mean a reduction in the planned beds as communal sleeping is not possible, but the changes and early engagement with Local Authority (LA) partners, including the planning department, means that the shelter will be able to function this coming winter. The project was funded from a combination of local and national grants, the LA, the Selig Trusts reserves and local councillor ward budgets.

The challenges Four members of the public objected to the plans, citing anti-social behaviour fears, but historically there have been no gatherings outside the shelter, either before or after guests arrived or left.

Another challenge involved having to adapt designs and increase the funding to have en-suite self-contained rooms in case people need to self-isolate.

ContactJulia Hancock – [email protected]

n

Ipswich Winter Night Shelter – Selig Trust

“ THe WiNter NigHt SHelter iN IpsWich Had been workiNg towards a move to a siNgLe veNue siNce a triaL in 2018/19”

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter Network A New Season4 Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter Network

A New Season 5

The support needs of everyone in hotel accommodation have been assessed and KCAH has secured a building for 4–7 persons to be used to house those with complex support needs around addiction. This will be a new direction for KCAH – creating a ‘Stabilisation Centre’ with a structured day programme and intricately linked in with the local drug and alcohol service. The plans to make this happen are ongoing and the costs will be more than our Night Shelter project. On top of this, we have offered to provide floating support for hotel guests placed in the accommodation sourced by the council, based on a 7:1 client to staff ratio. This is a further cost with no funding pot currently identified. A well organised fundraising campaign to reach the whole of the community is a necessity. We may also need to source the accommodation ourselves.

None of the COVID-response that KCAH has been involved in would have taken place without the dedication and commitment of over 350 volunteers giving their time. Although we have no expectation of running a shelter this winter, we hope to take our willing volunteers on the journey with us as we adapt to whatever the new ‘normal’ is. However, if there is a return to the streets, then there will be inevitable frustrations that shelters cannot be run, despite our acceptance of Public Health guidance.

Our guests in hotel accommodation have, overall, been fantastic. However, the “cliff edge” that could happen in Kingston at the end of

September remains very real and there is nervousness about this. It is the NRPF guests and those with complex lives that are still in danger of having accommodation taken away from them.

The challenges Planning is hard when external factors change rapidly.

It is difficult to provide costings due to the ever-changing environment.

There is insufficient appropriate accommodation to ensure the “In For Good” directive.

The elephant in the room is the type of tenancy that can be offered – licence agreements are needed rather than non-secure tenancies (Council) or Assured Shorthold Tenancies

Learning points & tips for others To link in with organisations already running shared accommodation and decide on your preferred model.

A strong relationship with your council is essential – you need champions in the local authority to fight your corner. You need to understand the housing benefit system and HMO regulations, for example.

Consider joining the NRLA (National Residential Landlords Association).

[email protected]

ScenarioRe-purposing a Static Shelter to respond to the ‘Everybody In’ Initiative

LocationKingston upon Thames

Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness

About the ShelterKingston Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH) is a charity set up by local churches in 1993. We provide a drop-in advice service for people in housing crisis and an accommodation project for 46 people in shared accommodation across 12 houses rented from private landlords, several of whom are supporters who no longer live in the area. KCAH has run a winter night shelter scheme since 2009. We run an Open Access Shelter for up to 30 people per night in two venues (MHCLG funded) as well as overseeing a roaming shelter. Our relationship with the local authority is strong.

COVID-19 responseKCAH was running a day centre and a roaming shelter when lockdown happened. Immediate dialogue with the local authority and Housing Justice took place. Our existing services ensured a rapid response, with KCAH becoming the single contact point to place anyone sleeping rough in Kingston into temporary ‘COVID-Protect’ accommodation. Since March, over 100 people have been helped into accommodation, 16 have successfully moved on and about the same number have lost accommodation.

KCAH deployed 5 staff to oversee the running of the Travelodge hotel where 64 rooms are secured until September. We ensure that Universal Credit is up and running, housing benefit is claimed and a homelessness application has been made.

The health and wellbeing of residents is the top priority. Amazing collaborative work has taken place between KCAH, other voluntary organisations and statutory services which we hope will make a lasting and positive difference for many people.

The new modelPlanning is taking place based on the “In For Good” directive. The success of this will be dependent on the continued close partnerships working between KCAH, the local authority and health agencies. The challenge yet to overcome is sourcing alternative accommodation for the numbers already helped off the streets. Also, coping with the anticipated numbers who will become homeless after lockdown is completely lifted.

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter Network A New Season6

“ NoNe of tHe COVID-respoNse THaT kCaH has been iNvoLved in wouLd Have takeN pLace wiTHouT the dedication aNd commiTmeNt of over 350 voLuNTeers giviNg tHeir time”

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter NetworkA New Season 7

An enhanced rate of move-on to permanent accommodation based on personal needs.

A co-ordinated outreach support following move-on enabling tenancy sustainability, integration, and resettlement.

Learning points & tips for others The frontline EHG team in the hotel have played a significant role as the oil in the wheels helping to maximise the effectiveness of the whole.

In addition, the support of local business, a GP surgery, and charities supporting food distribution have all played their part.

In all this, Wolverhampton Council has taken the lead and continues to. Our relationship with them is now excellent, as they have seen the difference made by our culture and working practices.

They are working on identifying a suitable building and continue to take responsibility for ensuring that no-one returns to the streets.

It has transpired that both the risk factor and the cost of running an operation of this nature, are significantly lower than would have been anticipated and it is therefore much more accessible than previously thought.

What we have learnt above all else is that so much more can be achieved together through serving one another and putting the individual’s needs before that of the organisations. Together we can make homelessness history and ensure that no-one is left behind.

ContactMatt Lambert – [email protected]

About the ShelterThe Enterprise Homes Group is a charitable organisation that provides accommodation, support, life skills training, work placements and employment to people transitioning through homelessness. It took over the operations of the Wolverhampton Church Shelter in April 2019, as part of the development of a unified pathway out of homelessness. It was transitioning to being a permanent Night Shelter and had secured long-term premises in partnership with another charitable organisation. Its relationship with the local authority was ok but nothing special. It provided 20 beds a night and assisted around 150–200 individuals per annum for at least one night, often more.

COVID-19 responsePrior to lockdown under the COVID-19 pandemic, Wolverhampton’s approach to tackling homelessness was increasingly becoming more and more about collaborations and partnerships. Lockdown dramatically accelerated this process. Despite doubts and fears that moving all the known rough sleepers, many with complex needs, into a local hotel was potentially a recipe for disaster, it has been made to not only work, it has become a remarkable success story. This success has been achieved through close partnership work, a flexible & tolerant person-centred approach and wrap-around support. In less than

three months, over 100 people have progressed on from the hotel into long-term safe, suitable, and sustainable accommodation.

The community in-reach workers of EHG have staffed the hotel reception 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist in maintaining the same family culture as the shelter, and coordinating the support offered to each individual.

The new modelIt quickly became apparent that returning to the old way of doing things was no longer an option as the quality of this new service and the outcomes were too good. We decided early on therefore that the shelter could no longer continue to operate for this reason rather than any operational obstacles linked to COVID-19. The partnership across the city has decided to replicate the hotel context on a smaller scale (15 to 20 beds maybe) while retaining the same principles and working practices:

Seamless support and compassionate scaffolding. Good quality accommodation, at a single location with integrated partnerships.

An ethos of compassion, respect, and flexibility. An organic service delivery tailored to individual needs and agile working practices that can adapt to challenges.

Personalised needs assessments with access to specialist intervention and strengthened pathways with treatment services.

ScenarioFrom a Night Shelter to private rented housing

LocationWolverhampton

Enterprise Homes Group

“ IT quickLy becAme appareNT tHaT reTurNing to The oLd way of doiNg THiNgs was No longer aN optioN as THe quaLiTy of THis new service aNd The ouTcomes were too good”

Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter NetworkA New Season 9 Housing Justice Winter Night Shelter Network

A New Season8

ScenarioPrivate rented and shared houses with community support

LocationNationwide

Hope into Action

About the ShelterHope into Action enables churches to house the homeless. We began 10 years ago in Peterborough and have grown to be running 75 homes across the country in 23 different towns. Each house is in partnership with a local church and contains 2 to 3 people. Houses can be for men or women. We adopt a franchise approach to replication into each new town. Along the way we have won various awards for our model including The Guardian’s ‘Best Housing Awards in the country’.

COVID-19 responseWhen the lockdown occurred, we realised that the vulnerable are always more strongly represented in a crisis. We had over 200 tenants in our homes and we made it our #1 priority to try not to lose any of their lives.

The new modelUsing investment capital, churches purchase houses that are then leased to Hope into Action and run in partnership with the local church. The intent is to try and buy the house within 5 minutes’ walk.

Each church provides a ‘friendship and support group’ of 5–10 volunteers who agree to love, befriend, support and journey with our tenants. We train that group during a course we run for them. Additionally, we employ an ‘Empowerment worker’ who will work with the tenants and the churches on their journey from referral to assessment to move-in and then move-on. This Empowerment work ensures the quality of the work we do.

The challenges Our main challenges have been finding new churches willing and able to partner with us.

Learning points & tips for others We really believe in our model. We would love to share with you what we have learnt!

ContactEd Walker – [email protected]


A New Season 11

ScenarioSelf-contained accommodation

LocationHavering, London

Hope 4 Havering

About the ShelterHope 4 Havering is a registered charity set up in 2011 and started with a 15 bed shelter and has progressed to the current 20 bed permanent site. Hope 4 Havering focuses on providing substance use rehabilitation support set up in 2011 and has since grown to provide 43 units, 37 of which are studio flats in addition to the shelter, operates 2 charity shops and has a staff team of 10 people.

We have over the years built a very good relationship with the local authority and this dramatically improved during the introduction of the Homeless Reduction Act and they have since been very supportive of our work.

COVID-19 responseOur shelter decanted during the lockdown into a hotel and our staff worked in tandem with St Mungo’s and SHP and everyone was successfully moved on with only 1 remaining guest. We used the lockdown period to plan and develop our support model, scope additional units and open an extra charity shop.

The new modelOur Trustees have a background and experience in addiction and we had always planned our additional units around rehabilitation support and it was easy to gain their support. At the start, our relationship with the local authority wasn’t the most supportive and has since improved to the point where they are extremely supportive of our work and the impact we have in the borough. Originally, we rented houses from fellow Christians at the market rate and then worked with private owners. Setting up a budget and getting LHA exempt rental income was vital in making us financially stable.

The challenges Getting landlords on board was challenging to start with and working with agents and owners who didn’t have an emotional link to the property like an ex-family home was more productive.

We worked with a consultancy around being LHA housing benefit exempt, we had to evidence the rehabilitation support we were offering and keep written records and support plans.

We had to refocus our support focus to incorporate housing management elements geared towards independence and move on, to ensure we can evidence our support and qualify for LHA exemption.

Learning points & tips for others See if your local authority is supportive of your idea and build the relationship of you gaining rental income exemption from their housing benefit department.

Look at a viability budget to see if the money side stacks up and get support from trustees and speak with your local authority to see if they can help.

See if someone in your congregation has a relevant rental property in the first instance, as some landlords, can have stigma around the use of the property.

ContactKim Merry – [email protected]

“ Look aT a ViabiLity budgeT to see if the moNey side stacks up aNd geT supporT from Trustees and speak with youR local auThority to see if THey can HeLP”

Hope 4 Havering has a 20 bed permanent site


A New Season12

About the ShelterGlasgow’s Night Shelter has been preventing homelessness among destitute asylum seekers since 2011. Glasgow is the UK’s largest dispersal area and we are Scotland’s main provider of emergency and temporary accommodation for our community who have no recourse to public funds, 365 nights a year. Our roots are in a volunteer-led model, based in empty halls around the city, only getting our own (borrowed) base in 2018. But what we’ve been able to deliver has never truly been good enough and set out to co-produce an accommodation pathway that will demonstrably improve the quality of life for our community.

We do this by leading a city-wide pilot project to improve the quality, quantity and coordination of third sector accommodation and services available to destitute asylum seekers. In November 2019 we kicked off by beginning a radical transformation of our own service, from a basic overnight shelter for 25 men in a shared dormitory, into a 24/7 human rights centre. Here our community can immediately access dignified private accommodation; time, space and support to explore their rights; and access to services to improve their wellbeing. Since our commitment to transformation, we have been happily joined by a Scotland-wide commitment to ending the use of night shelters.

COVID-19 responseWe weren’t quite ready to move into our new place when COVID-19 struck, but we quickly diverted from our existing 8pm-9am accommodation, where social distancing couldn’t be practiced. We had concerns about where folk could go during the day, as frontline services and public buildings were closing and having been consistently at capacity for the last year, we also knew there were many more folk needing accommodation.

Overnight we reinvented ourselves, doubling capacity, providing accommodation and wrap around support for up 48 destitute asylum seekers per day during “lockdown”, by basing our service in an empty hotel. We found the hotel, partnered with Simon Community Scotland to share resources and expertise, and we recruited new team members to work round the clock. In this temporary setting we’ve supported 130 different destitute asylum seekers since late March 2020; everyone has been enabled to engage with advocacy and casework (in partnership with Scottish Refugee Council, British Red Cross and Govan Community Project), make applications for destitution grants through Refugee Survival Trust, get legal support to review cases, and to access wellbeing services. Much of this was made available online as other services shut their city centre offices in line with COVID-19 guidance, which meant ensuring everyone had a smartphone, and that there were laptops on site too. We received

Scottish Government funding and support for the hotel bill and the additional staff but everything else has been through our own resource, partnership and volunteer support. We also felt great solidarity from folk working in England and Wales, such as Museum of Homelessness, and the wider NRPF sector through NACCOM.

The new modelOur new home is ready and we can now deliver our human-rights model; everyone who stays has their own en suite room, there are facilities (and supplies) to make food independently, as well as a community kitchen offering 3 meals a day; there’s also in-house casework in partnership with Scottish Refugee Council and our newly recruited asylum-experienced Participation Manager will ensure that further development and delivery of GNS is decided on by those who stay. We run this service from a building peppercorn leased to us by a housing association, who were looking for a meanwhile, charitable use for an empty building in their portfolio. Together with the housing association we secured a House of Multiple Occupancy licence. As part of the transition, we have also been working on developing and strengthening our organisational structures, policies and procedures, including data management and security. We are now starting to think more about branding and our online profile.

The challenges Initially we found immediate scaling up from providing support and shelter for 12 hours a night to 24 hours a real challenge – recruitment, protocols, health and safety, scared and confused guests etc.

Our situation was compounded by the added logistics of providing 3 meals a day, without a kitchen, and that which had to be delivered individually to rooms to meet COVID-19 guidance. Because we’d already done some planning and development work for the new centre, this was perhaps easier than an unexpected change.

The team also found the change challenging – including concerns about not being able to “see” people in private rooms. Leadership from our Service Manager quelled these fears, and demonstrated how wellbeing and welfare could be checked on, while maintaining privacy and dignity for the folk who stayed.

It also wasn’t possible to involve all of the team and our volunteers in the decisions about moving and how we’d run the hotel service and this no doubt caused some anxiety and concerns. And we were sad that in order to

reduce the number of people coming in and out of the service, we had to stand-down many loyal and committed volunteers who desperately wanted to help.

We could not have done this without direct funding from the Scottish Government and this has only been possible on public health grounds. When not in this emergency, the direct funding of accommodation for people who have no recourse to public funds is regrettably considered outside the powers devolved Scottish Government.

We also benefited enormously from the generous partnership of the hotel chain who gave over their hotel for a vastly reduced rate. The skeleton team from the hotel crew who were not furloughed have been extraordinary in their efforts to support what we were trying to achieve, including empathising about the complex trauma many folk were living with.

Learning points & tips for others Have an aspiration and a bold belief in whatever new approach you decide to undertake.

It’s OK to say that night shelters aren’t good for people – it doesn’t mean you and your team have done anything wrong, it means you aspire to do even better.

Be confident networking and making requests asking for sites and support – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Don’t do anything without involving folk with lived experience.

Work with your team and volunteers to talk through ideas and possibilities.

Check your assumptions, particularly around race and gender, as your ideas might be affected by forms of unconscious bias.

It’s not about you, or your organisation. It’s about the folk you exist to enable.

Contact Annika – [email protected]

ScenarioFrom a Night Shelter to a hotel for asylum seekers

LocationGlasgow

Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Migrants The old Glasgow Night Shelter


A New Season14

About the ShelterFirm Foundation is a single homeless organisation for those 18+ individuals under threat of homelessness or homeless in the Borough of Harrow. The Shelter is now in its 10th consecutive year.

The Charity started managing a Winter Night Shelter in 2011 with a part-time worker. In 2013 Firm Foundation went full-time and opened supported accommodation and day services. Harrow’s Single Homelessness Forum is also chaired by Firm Foundation. Our day services offered food and shower facilities with a signposting service. Our supported accommodation offers 6 rooms over two properties and is a 2 year move on with support. Using one venue with teams coming to the venue there is an evening meal, dormitory overnight beds and breakfast. We have use of the Community Centre from 6.30pm – 7.30am. Female guests sleep in a Church close to the Community Centre. Largest Shelter offered 17 beds for men 8 for ladies.

COVID-19 responseFirm Foundation moved guests into local hotels ahead of the government guidance. Harrow Council agreed to meet part of the cost of each room. The transition was smooth and we have been housing people from the Hotels.

The new modelWorking with guests in Hotels has overcome some historic issues around privacy and those with mental health needs. In each Shelter there have been those for whom the Shelter has not been an appropriate service. Two referrals this year would not enter the Shelter or sleep in a dorm setting due to their mental health. In addition, having to be outside until the Shelter reopens each day has been problematic. There are also staff savings as Night Staff are not required. We will be trialling a Hotel based Night Shelter in 2021.

Firm Foundation were able to offer four rooms in our supported accommodation with our regular landlords and letting agents offering self-contained accommodation. Harrow Council have also increased their awareness and offer to some of those with complex needs. This is in its early stages and is promising.

Learning points & tips for others Building and developing working relationships with the Council and Landlords has been key, although this has taken some time to develop.

Harrow’s Rough Sleeping Co-ordinator had been working out of Firm Foundation’s offices and the relationship has enabled us to work together.

[email protected]

ScenarioFrom a Night Shelter to hotel and supported housing

LocationHarrow, London

Firm Foundation Night Shelter


A New Season 17

ScenarioBuilding the stronghold within: the Citadel model of Mentoring and Befriending

LocationWales

Citadel

About the ShelterThe aim of the project is to help people at risk of homelessness to sustain their tenancies, or accommodation arrangements, by matching them with trained volunteers, who will work with individuals, in a strength-based approach to help people find a ‘stronghold’ within themselves.

Citadel uses our large base of church and community volunteers, who bring kindness, commitment and professionalism, together with our Christian values of love, compassion and nurture, to support vulnerable people to maintain their tenancies, through helping people to identify their needs and work towards addressing them. This could be finding and connecting with a community, seeking meaningful employment, accessing a sport or engaging with a new hobby. It may also require advocacy to help individuals access the services they need such as health or financial services.

The new modelOur Citadel volunteers will all undergo reference checks, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks and full training, before working with an individual. They will be supported by a paid member of staff (Citadel Co-ordinator) throughout the project.

Citadel will use a ‘Circles of Support’ model, to build a network of support for service users, including any agencies already involved and other agencies who may be of benefit to the individual. This model increases the support for the individual, ensuring all support services are working together, with the individual’s needs at the centre. This approach also reduces the risks for our volunteers and the organisation, by ensuring we do not enable counterproductive relationships between the volunteers and service users.

The first initial meeting would take place between a Housing Justice Citadel Co-ordinator, a volunteer and a service user, to ensure that all parties are happy with the pairing before the service user and volunteer would start meeting on their own. This meeting would also be used to agree meeting frequency, times, location and length of Citadel support, which should all be led by the service user. Citadel Volunteers would meet with service users on a regular basis (in a public place, e.g. a café) over a period of 3–6 months to begin with and would receive supervision with the Citadel Co-ordinator once a month to ensure that each pairing is fruitful. After the initial 3–6 months is up, a review would take place to see if the relationship should continue. If all parties agree to continue, a plan would be agreed going forward and if not, it would be recorded why it has ended (good or bad). Outcomes and evaluation would be recorded in order to collate data to feedback to funders.

Learning points & tips for othersCitadel will be co-produced with service users and volunteers because ‘the involvement of service users and volunteers in the design and delivery of services is frequently highlighted as contributing to high quality outcomes’.

At the earliest stage of involvement, we asked willing individuals who have worked with us on other projects for their views. Of the people we asked, 100% said they wanted further support when moving from emergency accommodation into housing.

When asked about ‘What matters to [them]’, they most frequently said they wanted help with finances, finding employment and volunteering opportunities and socialising.

They felt Citadel volunteers would help with this by using their local connections and knowledge, help with applying for jobs, help with social skills, signposting and help with computer literacy skills.

ContactBonnie Navarra –[email protected]

“ THis modeL iNcreases THe supporT for tHe iNdividuaL, eNsuring aLl supporT services are workiNg togeTHer, wiTH tHe iNdividuaL’s Needs aT THe ceNtre”


A New Season18

How does hosting work?

What is Hosting?Hosting is simply where someone offers a room in their house to someone in need.

Hosting Projects are an effective way of channelling and supporting help and hospitality from individuals willing to accommodate people unable to pay rent and isolated as a result of their destitution. They share the same core values of human kindness and hospitality embodied in winter night shelters. Hosts provide a safe, secure place to stay enabling guests the stability they need to rebuild their lives.

Who is it for?Hosting projects traditionally accommodate destitute people with no recourse to public funds who have very limited housing options.

Failed Asylum Seekers Refugees with newly granted status EEA nationals seeking work Other destitute migrants

Do you have volunteers interested in Hosting? If yes, reflect on whether you have the capacity to set-up and manage your own hosting scheme or alternatively, would volunteers benefit from the support of joining an existing hosting scheme, such as the one run by Housing Justice?

NACCOM, a national network preventing destitution amongst people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants have produced a comprehensive Hosting Toolkit aimed at people interested in becoming hosts or those interested in setting up a scheme in their area:

NACCOM Hosting Toolkit

Key things required for setting up a hosting scheme:A Steering Group, a Coordinator, enough hosts, access to funding, public liability insurance & referral partnerships.

Housing Justice has been running a hosting scheme since 2015. It has provided over 27,000 nights of accommodations, currently supports 28 guests and has a network of over 50 hosts.

Housing Justice Hosting Project

A project coordinator leads on recruitment, vetting including DBS checks, referral and risk assessment of guests, matching, relationship management, and ongoing support to both guests and hosts.

Housing JusticeHosting Project

Recruit hostsPromote in networks

Arrange an Information Event

Reference check and DBS

Home visit/property assessment

Volunteer Agreement and Policy

Training Session

ReferralsPartnership with local agencies supporting destitute migrants

Referral form completed by agency

Informed decision making by Coordinator on suitability of guest for hosting

Ongoing casework assistance from agency

MatchingCoordinator brokers a meeting between guest & host in a neutral location.

Each decide if they think it will work

Support for hostsDirect contact with Coordinator

More frequently at start and then on request

Policy for dealing with complaints and discipline issues

Support for guestsMore frequently at start

Ongoing support from referral agency

Engaged with Immigration Advice

Facilitation of volunteering, ESOL, Mentoring & Befriending

Host & Guest AgreementAgreement signed including house rules, mutual expectations

1 week trial period

Move-onDefined duration of placement set at start

Move on plan identified by referral agency

Options for extension if host is willing

Guests may move to another host when a placement ends

Membership with NAACOM offers access to a library of up-to-date templates and resources:

NACCOM Membership


A New Season20

Is Hosting legal? There is nothing intrinsically illegal about hosting. As long as the home owner is not receiving payment for the accommodation, Right to Rent legislation does not apply.

A robust Safeguarding Policy and Procedure should set out in detail how you will approach the vetting of hosts as well as any staff and volunteers. Whether you need to carry out Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks or not will depend on the host / volunteer or job role and whether any of those hosted are classed as a vulnerable adult under the relevant legislation. The term ‘vulnerable adult’ describes people “over the age of eighteen, towards whom the state has specific safeguarding responsibilities, because of their age or mental capacity, or because they are receiving certain types of health and social care”. (NACCOM, Hosting Toolkit, 2020)

What are the benefits of Hosting? Hosting offers a wide range of benefits for everyone involved – guests, hosts and an opportunity for you to develop your organisation’s work. Hosting provides safe and secure housing to vulnerable migrants who often have very limited options. It offers a period of stability for refused asylum seekers to work on resolving their immigration cases, and for guests eligible to work, having the opportunity to save

for a rent deposit with a clear pathway out of homelessness. (See NACCOMS Hosting Toolkit p.16–22 for great case studies) Hosts report that they learn a lot from their guests, whether this be about situations in different parts of the world or the realities of navigating the UK Asylum system. Bonds and friendships are formed that often last way after the hosting placement ends.

Home From HomeIn 2017, with support of Housing Justice and NAACOM, C4WS Homeless Project set up their own hosting project called Home From Home:

C4WS Home From Home

“It has been inspiring to see how Home From Home has embodied all the core values of C4WS with volunteer hosts taking the heart and ethos of the winter night shelter, quite literally, into their own homes. It is an expansion of the shelter beyond our traditional understanding and is an innovation that demonstrates both the need for such a service and the compassion amongst human beings to support each other.”

What next?If you are interested in setting up a Hosting Scheme or have volunteers interested in becoming hosts with Housing Justice, please contact London Catalyst Team member, Jenna – [email protected]

Housing JusticeHosting Project


A New Season 23

Housing JusticeThe Foundry, Unit G1217 Oval Way, VauxhallLondon, SE11 5RR

[email protected] 3752 5635

© 2020 Housing Justice Charity no. 294666. Company no. 2017207.

a newseason · 20 housing justice hosting project housing justice england, london now, as the...

Documents