Centre for Homelessness Impact: Why reliable evidence matters
The Centre for Homelessness Impact reflects on Evidence Week – an initiative led by Sense about Science and other agencies in the United Kingdom (UK). The initiative aims to explore the significance of evidence and data across a number of different fields of work and service and to encourage legislators to “consider the merits of evidence-based policy and legislation”. The last day of the week featured a panel of experts on homelessness who discussed new research on solutions to tackle the issue. Barriers to utilizing evidence were also examined. According to member of parliament (MP), Mary Creagh, systemic and structural challenges in translating evidence to the parliament may make it difficult for members to design evidence-based policies.
Norman Lamb MP said “if you are passionate about making a difference to mankind, you will only succeed in that by following the evidence of what works”.
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The U.S. Department of Education Addresses Student Homelessness
“Every night we stayed in a different motel. The only thing I could control was my grades. The feeling of getting an A at the end of the term was all I needed to remind me that I would survive, in and out of school”, said Latte Harris.
The United States Department of Education’s Youth Engagement Team hosted a session that provided students the opportunity to discuss the challenges of experiencing homelessness while trying to pursue an education. Harris shared her lived experience of homelessness during high school. As she explained, many students are overwhelmed with having to worry about both their academic performance and their struggles to meet their basic, everyday needs. The Department has a team dedicated to addressing the needs of students affected by homelessness. Programs, such as The Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program, aim to help youth and families navigate the obstacles associated with inadequate living conditions to ensure students are able to achieve their academic goals.
Read the article here.
FEANTSA’s Ending Homelessness Awards 2018
Following the success of their 2017 inaugural awards, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) will recognize innovative projects funded by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) at this year’s Ending Homelessness Awards. FEANTSA hopes that the Awards will provide agencies the opportunity to showcase how FEAD is helping combat homelessness throughout Europe and inspire other projects seeking financial assistance from the fund. All three winners will be invited to present their projects at the 2019 FEANTSA Policy Conference. The award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 14, 2018.
Apply here.
Greater Manchester 2020 Vision: “A whole society response”
Mayor Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester, England has set an ambitious goal to end rough sleeping throughout the city by the year 2020. Jess McCabe of Inside Housing reports on the city’s progress thus far. The local government’s most recent count, conducted in November 2017, suggests that rough sleeping had increased by 40% over a one-year span. Beth Knowles, mayoral lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and Mike Wright, strategic lead on homelessness at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, have been doing “hard legwork to prepare the ground”. Knowles and Wright have several projects underway, aimed at housing people with complex needs, sleeping rough. In addition, a Homelessness Action Network was assembled to unite regional stakeholders to address the issue collectively. McCabe discusses recent changes in legislation that can help drive the city toward the 2020 goal, such as funding used to house people experiencing chronic homelessness via the Social Impact Bond and new homelessness prevention duties enforced through the Homelessness Reduction Act.
“We will do everything to get to that point, and if we fall slightly short, we fall slightly short, but it’s much better than we were at the beginning”, said Knowles.
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San Francisco, California Homelessness: A view of progress
Jeff Kositsky, Director of San Francisco, California’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, drove around the Mission District and Mission Bay neighborhoods, pointing out blocks where homelessness encampments used to line the sidewalks. Kositsky said he is “thrilled” to see less of them. He and his team have connected about 792 people who used to live on these streets with temporary accommodation and supportive services. According to Kositsky, the city is making progress toward ending street homelessness, slowly but surely. San Francisco Mayor, London Breed, expressed her hopes to house the remaining population of people living without shelter. The San Francisco Chronicle suggests that Mayor Breed is in support of a proposal to increase taxes on businesses that can be allocated to fund more housing. Kositsky hopes to see improvement in policies for the allocation of housing, such as eliminating barriers that prioritize housing certain groups over others.
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The State of Homelessness in Melbourne, Australia
Calla Wahlquist of The Guardian Australia shares data on homelessness in Melbourne, Australia. Figures from the most recent biannual survey suggests that nearly 300 people were experiencing street homelessness within Melbourne in June 2018. These figures reflect an approximate 15% decrease from the number of people reported to be living on the city’s streets in 2016. Housing Minister Martin Foley described the reduction as an “encouraging sign” that their efforts are working.
“Ultimately, the solution is to get people into housing but pathways out of homelessness require a case-by-case solution,” said Arron Wood, Melbourne’s acting Lord Mayor.
Read the article here.