Commonweal Housing

If you're a frontline worker in the homelessness sector, this is a great opportunity to share your insights. St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity #FrontlineWorkerSurvey is open until Friday 4th April. Details are below.⬇️ 

💻 Last week, Solace Women's Aid and Single Homeless Project hosted a webinar on research into a new Housing First model for couples facing homelessness and domestic abuse, funded by Commonweal.   As of March 2024, 167 couples slept rough in the last year, with domestic abuse known or suspected in up to 73% of these cases. These figures likely underestimate the true numbers.    The model aims to mitigate risks for survivors, while ensuring that both survivors and perpetrators can access stable housing, healthcare and specialist support.    If you missed it, you can watch the webinar recording below. Read the report here. ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ixgc81 🙏 Thanks to the fantastic speakers: Rebecca Goshawk from Solace, Lucy Campbell from SHP, Amy Hewitt from Respect UK, independent researcher Jackie Gallagher, and Commonweal's Amy Doyle. https://lnkd.in/e8JxNCnM

The funding from Commonweal Housing was a huge support to Julian House, enabling us to explore this opportunity. What we discovered on that journey was invaluable and whilst it was challenging, there are many positives to be gained and we take that learning forward while we look for alternative sites to deliver this project. Thank you Commonweal Housing!

Commonweal is pleased to have funded Julian House's feasibility study exploring a modular supported housing project for vulnerable adults.   Joanne Lumb (CertCIH), Development Manager (Housing) at Julian House, reflects on the charity's journey developing modular homes, including challenges securing planning permission and their alternative approach to housing those recovering from homelessness in Somerset. Read the blog here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4irgay6 Photo credit: Armstrong Architecture

Sign up for tomorrow's online lunchtime learning event, chaired by Commonweal's Amy Doyle. ⬇️ 

We are excited to announce Russ Edwards as Commonweal's new Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees! Russ has over 25 years of experience in architecture and development roles and has been an engaged Commonweal Trustee since 2017. As Vice-Chair, he will collaborate closely with our Chair, Amarjit Bains, to expand Commonweal's initiatives aimed at addressing social injustices with housing-based solutions. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4iuHOKA

There's still time to sign up for Solace Women's Aid and Single Homeless Project's online event, sharing learnings on their Housing First model for couples.    The model aims to reduce and mitigate the risks to survivors of domestic abuse who experience entrenched homelessness in a couple, whilst ensuring that domestic abuse does not deny either survivor or perpetrator access to the stable housing, health care, and specialist support that they need.   📅 Date: Tuesday 18th March  ⏲️ Time: 12:00 - 13:30   Get all the details and sign up using the link below.

Today's #YoungCarersActionDay theme is 'Give Me A Break', recognising the importance of rest and respite for young carers. Between 2017 and 2023, our Move On Up project, in partnership with Quaker Social Action, provided housing and support for young adult carers aged 18-25. Many of these individuals had often missed out on certain opportunities due to their caring role. Through the project, each young person was given their own space and tailored support, allowing them a much-needed break from their caring duties to focus on their own goals. Those involved with the project reported positive improvements in their situation, with many sharing stories of: - Improved mental health - Stronger family relationships - Increased ability to excel in or access employment. One tenant described feeling "free at Move On Up", as documented here: https://lnkd.in/d6tVHuZa To further highlight the housing challenges young adult carers face, in 2023, we commissioned the 'We Still Care' report produced by Learning and Work Institute. This report outlines the housing options for this group and the policy barriers they face. It also offers recommendations for the government, local authorities, housing providers, and the third sector to meet the unique housing needs of young adult carers. You can find a summary of the report's findings and recommendations on our website: https://lnkd.in/dW7Jde_x

In light of #InternationalWomensDay, we're highlighting the vital role housing plays for survivors of domestic abuse and the need for more accessible options. Our blog below shares insights from our Rhea project (2017-2023), run in partnership with Solace Women's Aid. Rhea provided safe, self-contained housing along with tailored support for survivors who find traditional refuges unsuitable - often supporting women with older male children. The evaluation of Rhea reveals its impact in helping women break the cycle of abuse and rebuild their lives. We are also pleased to have funded Refuge's feasibility study in 2023, investigating best practices for dispersed accommodation models for survivors facing challenges in shared refuge settings. This important research examines the needs of survivors with disabilities, large families, pets and transgender survivors. Read the blog here: link: https://lnkd.in/e5KVx-bC

A new report from The Human Trafficking Foundation calls for all local authorities to have, or have regional access to, a specialist modern slavery coordinator funded by central government. Currently, only 9 out of 339 local authorities in England and Wales have such coordinators, resulting in unequal access to support for modern slavery victims. This report, developed in collaboration with modern slavery coordinators, highlights the importance and success of this role in helping local authorities respond to modern slavery. It builds on earlier research by the Human Trafficking Foundation, funded by Commonweal in 2023, which explores the housing landscape for survivors of modern slavery. 'The Key Issue' examined whether the Whole Housing Approach framework employed by the domestic abuse sector could be adapted for modern slavery survivors. The report identified the necessity for a coordinated response between the housing and modern slavery sectors, and local government to ensure survivors can access safe and appropriate housing. One way to help achieve this is for the government to fund a modern slavery lead in every local authority. The new research provides evidence of how a dedicated role can improve local coordination and support for survivors. Read the report here: https://bit.ly/41rTeI5 Insights from 'The Key Issue' report can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ebPsMpyJ