Homeless Link

🎉 Shaping the Future Together: our new strategic plan for 2021-2024 🎉 Our strategy puts our members at its heart, as it aims to end homelessness for good by ensuring everyone has a place to call home & the support they need to keep it.

With a new Government comes new opportunities and the hope of working alongside Ministers to implement a more considered and effective approach to tackling migrant homelessness to create a society with a home for everyone. With NACCOM, we have published a policy briefing exploring the key drivers of, and potential solutions to, homelessness amongst migrants, and a resource pack to help you share the briefing and summary with your MP(s) and ask them to take action. https://lnkd.in/esfyy3SC

📅 World Suicide Prevention Day - 10th September People experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk of ending their lives by suicide than the general population. If you’re working in homelessness services, join us for an essential training this World Suicide Prevention Day to build your confidence in supporting those at risk. Our Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Post-Incident Protocols course covers practical strategies for prevention, how to respond after an incident, and ways to care for both service users and staff. 🔗 Book your place https://lnkd.in/eqSEiRfp #WorldSuicidePreventionDay

Effective funding can enable the homelessness system to promote health and recovery, and ensure people are consistently supported to move on from homelessness for good. But there is work required to get to this stage. The homelessness sector has faced crisis for years, and getting beyond that requires a fundamental shift in how its funding is allocated, evaluated and monitored.   The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has announced a two stage funding review for the country. In October she will outline short term funding priorities and next Spring she will identify longer term changes.   Through our free webinar on 5th September, you will hear from Homeless Link’s policy team about its vision for a sustainable homelessness funding system that provides services the stability and security to provide meaningful support. Alongside this, you will hear about the Government’s budgetary plans and how homelessness organisations can join us in campaigning for a new homelessness funding system. Sign up for free via the link. https://lnkd.in/em-vYDa4

📅 Transferring onto the UK's new e-Visa System 📅 The UK Government is rolling out a new digital immigration system, which will replace all physical visas, such as biometric residence permit (BRP), visa vignette stickers or immigration ink stamps in passports, or biometric residence cards (BRC). For services to be able to support anyone asking for help to navigate the change onto the e-Visa system, we have created a run-down of who needs to take action to ensure they transfer on to the new eVisa system, what those actions are, and any deadlines. https://lnkd.in/eCRvP424

Could you be our next Trustee? Nominations are open to join our elected directors and play a crucial role in representing our members and shaping our strategic direction. If you’re a CEO or senior leader of a full member organisation, this is your chance to bring your unique perspective and skills to our board. Visit our blog to learn more about how to apply. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g2cbZFfY

We are sharing this resource that has been developed by NACCOM in partnership with Hope not hate, Asylum Matters, Right to Remain, Praxis and IMIX. The guide pulls together some basic principles/ considerations for organisations and community groups to guide their thinking when making decisions about how to keep staff, volunteers and the people they are working with feeling safe and supported. It also offers our solidarity with the people who are most affected by far-right violence as we stand together as one community.    This is not an exhaustive guide, and it will be updated as best practice continues to be developed. It is hosted on Hope not Hate's website at https://lnkd.in/egKC98Vq  (you have to register to request access).    NACCOM are happy to have feedback on what can be included/updated/added, etc. Hope it's useful as a sense check for you all in these difficult times.   

An important announcement from Homeless Link's CEO

Rachel Reeves’ “Spending Inheritance” statement included vital news for commissioned homelessness services facing funding cliff edges next March as she laid out her plans for reviewing public spending. Decisions for 2025-26 will be taken within weeks alongside a longer-term review concluding next Spring. For Homeless Link and our members time is of the essence to ensure funding for homelessness is maintained next year and that a renewed, holistic and long-term approach to homelessness funding is taken in the years beyond. The Chancellor announced she has commenced a multi-year spending review that will decide public spending levels for at least 3 years (2025-2028).  She will announce spending budgets for 2025-26 on 30 October, alongside announcements on tax and welfare. This will include decisions on whether key funding programme like the Rough Sleeping Initiative continue in 2025-26 and allow for local authorities to get draft one year spending settlements before Christmas. Decisions on spending in the following years will be announced when the spending review fully concludes in Spring 2025. Reeves also announced that she will ensure that in future there will be more stability and certainty to public service budgets by conducting Spending Reviews every two years with a minimum planning horizon of three years. This will be very welcome news for senior leaders and finance chiefs across the sector! Overall the approach to the Spending Review is welcome – decisions in October will give certainty for next year, while allowing a longer period for a more in-depth review for future years. We’ll be calling for the Government to use this time to regain strategic control over spending on homelessness and redesign the homelessness funding system – ideally replacing the existing piecemeal and short-term funding structures with a long-term, ring-fenced homelessness support fund. But Reeves told Parliament to expect “difficult decisions” this October and there is no doubt that alongside our calls for a comprehensive review, we will need to fight hard to protect current spending levels in 2025-26 and keep the doors of homelessness services open. Homeless Link can’t do this on our own. If you aren’t already receiving our Campaign Newsletters, please drop me a line to make sure you can get involved.

Could you be our next Trustee? Homeless Link’s elected directors play a crucial role in representing our members and shaping our strategic direction. Nominations are now open, and we’re looking for a trustee with expertise in digital technology, data, or social enterprise and to increase the diversity of the board. Even if you’ve never served on a board before, we would love for you to consider applying! If you’re a CEO or senior leader of a full member organisation, this is your chance to bring your unique perspective and skills to our board. Visit our blog to learn more about how to apply. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g2cbZFfY