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The pandemic has thrown up major challenges for those working in homelessness. Last week’s awards celebrated some of the best work being done to help those who find themselves without a home, writes Neil Wightman
The past 18 months have been a period of intense challenges for everyone working in housing and homelessness as we seek to address the needs of homeless households and adapt to new ways of working throughout the COVID-19 response.
Nowhere has this challenge been greater than in London, where the housing crisis and its effects are more starkly felt and longer-standing than any other region of the country. The capital has 60,000 households, including 84,000 children, in temporary accommodation – two-thirds of the national total and an increase of 63% compared with 2011.
In 2019-20, around 25,000 households were owed a homelessness relief duty by a local authority, more than twice as many as in 2010-11. Through the Everyone In initiative, around 7,000 former rough sleepers have been supported off the streets and over 5,000 into settled, move-on accommodation.
Given the enormous scale of homelessness in the capital, the London Housing Directors’ Group – a professional network of senior housing officers from all 33 London local authorities – is pleased to support the London Homelessness Awards 2021, which took place last week, alongside the London Housing Foundation, Crisis, Shelter and the mayor of London.
The awards celebrate the vital and valued contribution of the third sector and wider public services in supporting local authorities’ homelessness prevention role.
The awards were cancelled last year but returned for their 21st year, promoting best practice and supporting the innovation taking place across London’s homelessness sector.
As local directors of housing, we are determined to lead the charge in reducing homelessness in our communities. The awards present an opportunity to learn from innovative new approaches, with six shortlisted programmes.
The winner of the first prize was MyBnk: The Money House, which is an accredited youth homelessness prevention scheme. It targets care leavers and vulnerable young adults about to move into social housing. Over a week, trained experts in four flats across London teach participants everything they need to know to keep their tenancy.
They focus on survival money-management skills, understanding systems, planning for the future and reducing financial exclusion. It has resulted in a 64% drop in evictions for those at risk of becoming homeless.
Three further projects were also awarded prizes by the judging panel:
Two further projects were also specially commended at this year’s awards:
As well as a first prize of £30,000, winners receive a range of business development initiatives, including communications and marketing support, training and further opportunities to bid for grants.
Congratulations to all of the projects celebrated this year.
More details about the London Homelessness Awards can be found at www.lhawards.org.uk.
Neil Wightman, director of housing at Westminster City Council and the London Housing Directors’ Group representative on the awards panel
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