Sheffield Adult Safeguarding Partnership

Homelessness

Homelessness covers a wide range of circumstances from sleeping on the streets, to families living in bed and breakfast hotels, to those without a home of their own.

There is no single reason why someone can end up without a home. Personal circumstances and wider factors both play their part.

A wide definition of homelessness is adopted in the Homelessness Monitor and considers the impacts of relevant policy and economic changes on all of the following homeless groups:

  • people sleeping rough
  • single homeless people living in hostels, shelters and temporary supported accommodation
  • statutorily homeless households – households who seek housing assistance from local authorities on grounds of being currently or imminently without accommodation
  • ‘hidden homeless’ households – people who may be considered homeless but whose situation is not ‘visible’ either on the streets or in official statistics

Local Support Available for Homeless People

Sheffield City Council

 Sheffield City Council Housing Solutions - Homeless prevention advice and assistance. Information on rehousing options in Sheffield

Sheffield Archer Project

Sheffield Archer Project - various support options for help homeless people

Emmaus Sheffield

Emmaus Sheffield is a unique project in South Yorkshire. Providing a home, support and work for formerly homeless men and women.

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National Information and Advice

Shelter’s National Homeless Advice Service

Shelter’s National Homelessness Advice provide FREE expert advice, training and support to professionals working in local authorities, voluntary advice agencies and public authorities in England. Visit the website.   They offer a series of free 90-minute webinars via Zoom on subjects such as Casework skills: Good practice, Introduction to Welfare Benefits, Dealing with Landlord Harassment and Unlawful Eviction, Suspending a warrant, and Recognising Coercive Control.

 Factsheets

Factsheets can be used by members of the public and professionals. Each factsheet aims to give a general overview of a particular housing or welfare subject, covering Benefit Cap, Bedroom Tax, Housing benefit (under 35s), Tenancy deposit schemes, illegal eviction and more. View the factsheets here

Adult safeguarding and homelessness: A briefing on positive practice

The purpose of this briefing from the Local Government Association is to assist senior leaders, such as members of Safeguarding Adults Boards (SABs), as well as commissioners, practitioners and operational managers who are working across relevant sectors and agencies in this field, to support people who are homeless and at risk of or experiencing abuse or neglect. This briefing includes learning from SARs.

 Rethinking Rough Sleeping in the Pandemic

This article from Research in Practice talks about homelessness in the light of the pandemic, and lists 4 key recommendations and examples of new challenges relating to Covid:

  • Working together locally towards systems and culture change to support joined-up working across teams
  • Ensuring people with care and support needs are at the centre of decision making
  • Ensuring practitioners are informed and supported
  • Raising public awareness of the issue of rough sleeping and challenging bias

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Policy Context

Sheffield Homelss Prevention Strategy 20217 - 2022

Sheffield Homeless Prevention Strategy 2017-2022  sets out the strategic direction and priorities over the next five years. The strategy sets out our vision to minimise homelessness in Sheffield by focussing on early prevention to help people keep their home or move in a planned was to a new settled home. It sets out the six strategic priorities that will have the most impact on preventing homelessness.

Homelessness Reduction Act

Homelessness Reduction Act came into force in April 2018 – there is also a Code of Guidance which provides advice and guidance on all the homeless legislation, as well as an overview of the different Acts governing homelessness.

The main changes in the  Act are listed below with links to the relevant sections of the Code of Guidance:

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