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Short on time? Wednessday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Number of homeless deaths in Scotland increases by almost 20% in one year
Latest figures from the Scottish government has revealed a major spike in the number of homeless people dying in 2018. The figures released yesterday show that there were 195 homeless deaths in 2018, up from 164 in 2017. A total of 104 were drug related.
Sean Clerkin, campaign co-ordinator at the Scottish Tenants Organisation, said the “horrendous increase” reflects the failure of the Scottish government to deal with homelessness.
Scottish housing minister Kevin Stewart said that the increase in drug-related deaths reflects the wider public health emergency Scotland is facing over drug deaths.
CIH launches mental health guide for professionals
As part of her presidency which was launched last night, Aileen Evans, the new CIH president, has put tackling mental health firmly at the centre of what she wants to focus during her one-year term.
As part of this move, Ms Evans and the CIH has now released a toolkit for housing professionals to use to assist them in being more aware of mental health issues and supportive of other people’s issues.
The guide gives advice on how to prioritise mental health in the workplace and develop a more positive culture at work that ensures better mental health outcomes.
The initiative, called Shine a Light, has been spearheaded by Ms Evans, who said her decision to focus on mental health and wellbeing during her presidency was an opportunity “to give something back to the profession and the people that supported me in my career”.
Lunchtime long read
Photography by Simon Brandon
Aileen Evans wants her presidency of the Chartered Institute of Housing to shine a light on the way the sector approaches mental health. She speaks to editor Martin Hilditch about what she wants to achieve and why it is such a personal campaign.
Quote of the day
“There is an urgent need to address the economic challenges faced by deprived areas to deliver regeneration initiatives. We know from experience that this isn’t an easy task.”
David Cowans, group chief executive of Places for People, says housing associations must join forces with local partners to deliver large-scale regeneration more quickly and effectively.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
A number of national newspapers covered the delay to the Grenfell Inquiry, brought about after some of the corporate witnesses asked if they could give evidence without it being used against them in any future criminal proceedings. The Guardian has more. Inside Housing’s coverage of yesterday’s decision can be found here.
The BBC reports that high-interest credit card adverts are being targeted at people seeking benefits advice on UK local council websites.
Local news
Picture: Getty
The latest figures for homelessness in Wales have shown a significant rise from 347 people sleeping rough over a two-week period last year to 405 people who slept on the streets this year – an increase of 17%. Wales Online has the full story.
Meanwhile, the former Brentwood headquarters of car giant Ford has been bought for £40m, with plans for more than 400 homes on the site, the BBC reports.
In Scotland, residents of a sheltered housing complex in Moray will meet its operators later this month amid claims they are being charged double for heating. The Press and Journal has more.
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