HELPING HOMELESS CALLERS. A resource for clergy and parish teams in the Diocese of Westminster

Transcription

1 HELPING HOMELESS CALLERS A resource for clergy and parish teams in the Diocese of Westminster

2 Helping Homeless Callers is produced by: Caritas Westminster, the social action agency of the Diocese of Westminster registered charity no Housing Justice, the national voice of Christian action in the field of housing and homelessness registered charity no

3 HELPING HOMELESS CALLERS About this booklet As part of a parish team, you are likely to be responding to the needs of homeless callers and parishioners threatened with homelessness. You may already have a strategy for helping people who come to the door of the parish. This booklet is designed to support parish staff and volunteers in giving appropriate advice and assistance which addresses the long-term needs of those affected by homelessness. CONTENTS RESPONDING TO DOORSTEP CALLERS ELIGIBILITY FOR HELP GIVING ASSISTANCE SIGNPOSTING LOCAL CONTACTS

4 RESPONDING TO DOORSTEP CALLERS You may find that homeless people frequently knock on your door and ask for your help. It is important that you find a way of engaging with individuals so that you can determine their level of need and the support that is available to them. As a minimum, we recommend asking the following questions. The responses to these questions will help you to determine the services available for each individual homeless person. 1. What is your name? 2. How old are you? A - Under 19 Are you in fulltime education or training? B - Older people Are you above pension age? page 1

5 3. What is your gender? 4. Where are you from? A - The UK - Have you lived in this borough for the last two years? B - The Republic of Ireland C - A country within the EU D - A country outside the EU Do you have permission to remain in the UK? 5. If not from the UK, how long have you been continuously resident in this country? page 2

6 6. Where are you sleeping? A - The street B - Someone s sofa Who are you staying with? C - Squatting Where are you squatting? D - Hostel Which hostel? E - Renting Why are you at risk of homelessness? Do you have a tenancy agreement? Have you broken your tenancy agree -ment, e.g. by not paying your rent? Who is your landlord? 7. Do you have children under the age of 18? A - Are they dependent upon you? 8. Do you consider yourself to have any mental, physical or intellectual disabilities? page 3

7 9. Have you A - made a homelessness application? What was the outcome? B - been in care? C - been in the armed forces? D - been in a young offenders institute/prison? E - had to leave your home due to violence and/or harassment? 10. Are you receiving help from elsewhere? A - Have you been to a local day centre? B - Do you know the local street outreach team? C - Do you know if you are entitled to a hostel place? page 4

8 ELIGIBILITY FOR HELP Asking homeless callers for basic information helps you to determine whether or not individuals are entitled to state help. This section explains the help available to homeless people according to government categories. UK nationals The local authority will use a local connection test to determine whether a British citizen has a strong local connection with a particular area. If this is not the borough in which they are currently staying, they will probably be offered reconnection, which includes a ticket home and support from local services when they arrive. Some UK nationals are considered as being in priority need, for instance if they have been in care, in the army, have a physical, intellectual or mental disability, or have had to page 5

9 leave home as a result of violence and/ or harassment. UK nationals must be considered statutorily homeless (i.e. you have no home in the UK or anywhere else in the world for you to occupy) by the council to receive help. EU nationals EU nationals who have been resident in the UK for some time and are capable of work are more likely to receive benefits than those who are not. The available assistance is again normally reconnection, i.e. a ticket home and help at the arrival destination. Non-EU migrants and refugees This group is usually not eligible for benefits unless their claim for asylum is being assessed by the Home Office. Often people are initially refused asylum or leave to remain, but this decision is subsequently overturned on appeal. page 6

10 Men/women Some services are women only. Young people/older people Young people under the age of 18 and in full-time education/training, and older people who are over pensionable age are a higher priority for emergency accommodation. Young people aged are eligible for accommodation and support from social services, but not from the council housing department. Families with children under 18 This group is of highest priority for emergency accommodation, so long as they have UK residency rights. page 7

11 Threatened with homelessness People who are likely to become homeless within 28 days, for instance because they cannot pay their rent or because their landlord is evicting them, should be considered at risk of homelessness by the council. page 8

12 GIVING ASSISTANCE Giving homeless callers small amounts of money or food only addresses their short-term needs. Instead, you may want to consider the following options: Make connections with the local day centre If you liaise regularly with your local day centre and keep up to date with what s going on in your local area, you will be in a better position to help homeless callers. If a caller is not known to the day centre and needs to attend an appointment to access support, the homeless person will be more likely to keep their appointment if you meet with day centre staff beforehand. You can record the details of your local day centre on the back of this booklet. page 9

13 Accompany homeless callers to interviews People affected by homelessness will often have to attend interviews to assess their entitlements, such as for benefit applications or assessment of their support needs. You can provide support and reassurance by attending these interviews with them. Advocate on behalf of people for whom English is not a first language Individuals who struggle to speak English may find the process of accessing help extremely difficult. Advocating on their behalf may make the difference between them receiving assistance or not. You can do the same for people who struggle with basic literacy and numeracy. page 10

14 Give people options By signposting callers on to other services which may be able to help them, you can give individuals access to options they would not otherwise be aware of people may be able to access more specialised help, and sometimes those who are threatened with homelessness will be able to stop the situation from escalating. For homeowners in financial difficulty, there is sometimes help available from the local authority. Call the Shelter advice line for more information. For families where a young person is at risk of being made homeless due to intergenerational tensions, interventions such as mediation might be available from Depaul Nightstop. See SIGNPOSTING for more information > page 11

15 SIGNPOSTING Once you know more about the homeless caller, you can refer them on to the appropriate organisation for further help. As well as state assistance, there are many local and national organisations which provide assistance to individuals who are homeless and those at risk of homelessness. This section lists contact details for some of these organisations, and provides space for you to include organisations local to your parish. Local authority The local authority Housing Options team is the first place you should direct someone for advice and assistance. However, if the local authority does not consider an individual to be statutorily homeless, then they will have no obligation to provide housing. Social services have a legal duty to page 12

16 accommodate under 18 s at risk of homelessness. Local day centres Day centres are warm places where homeless people can go during the day for food, clothes, washing, and other basic needs. Sometimes day centres are for particular people, e.g. young people, women, people with mental health problems. Some offer advice on benefits and housing. Day centres are often run by local charities and churches. You can record the details of your local day centre on the back of this booklet. Homeless London/Homeless UK A website which lists over 9,000 hostels, day centres and other page 13

17 advice and support services for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. homelesslondon.org Streetlink Use Streetlink to alert outreach teams so they can find and assist a rough sleeper. They need a brief description and location. Call streetlink.org.uk The Pavement Monthly publication written from the perspective of homeless people. Includes The List, which has details of food hand-outs, day centres, and other help for people on the streets. thepavement.org.uk page 14

18 Streets Kitchen Lists free food hand-outs in London and across the UK. streetskitchen.co.uk Shelter Largest housing advice charity in the UK. Freephone helpline: Open 8am-8pm weekdays 8am-5pm weekends shelter.org.uk Depaul Nightstop Offers young people under 25 overnight accommodation with volunteer hosts to allow families in crisis to cool off following relationship breakdown. depaulnightstopuk.org page 15

19 CHAIN Combined Homelessness and Information Network. Gathers information on street homelessness in all London boroughs. data.london.gov.uk/dataset/ chain-reports Refugee Council Free advice service to asylum seekers and immigrants. refugeecouncil.org.uk page 16

20 LOCAL CONTACTS Keep a record of local organisations and contacts who you can refer people on to once you have determined what their needs are, e.g. your local churches Night Shelter project, Social Services out-ofhours number, groups which work with destitute migrants. Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 17

21 Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 18

22 Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 19

23 Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 20

24 Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 21

25 Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: Organisation: Contact: Address: Telephone: page 22

26 ABOUT HOUSING JUSTICE Housing Justice is the national voice of Christian action on housing need and homelessness. Launched in 2003 from the merger of the Catholic Housing Aid Society (founded in 1956) and the Churches National Housing Coalition (founded in 1989), HJ provides speakers for Homeless Sunday and Parish meetings, as well as practical advice and resources to help parishes respond to local homelessness and housing need. Charity no Company no housingjustice.org.uk ABOUT CARITAS WESTMINSTER At Caritas Westminster, we seek to bring about a society where everyone lives a life of dignity and worth. As the social action agency of the Diocese of Westminster, we support established parish-based social action and encourage new initiatives, as well as developing our own social action projects. Our work on homelessness includes supporting the Westminster Winter Night Shelter and Emmaus Barnet. Charity no rcdow.org.uk/caritas page 23

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28 DETAILS OF LOCAL DAY CENTRE Contact: Address: Telephone: