Challenges of the Coalition government’s
reforms to the effective resettlement of
single homeless people
Tony Warnes and Maureen Crane
University of Sheffield
Housing Studies Association conference: ‘Housing in Hard Times: Class,
Poverty and Social Exclusion’, University of York, 13-15 April 2011
Topics
 The FOR-HOME study
 Selected findings on housing outcomes
 Welfare reforms and the implications for
resettlement practice and its success
 What is needed
Aims of the FOR-HOME study
To produce authoritative and longitudinal information about: (a) the
experiences of homeless people who are resettled, and (b) the
factors that influence the outcomes.
Funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council
Partner organisations
Study design and data collection
 The sample: 400 single homeless people resettled into
independent accommodation by the collaborating
organisations. Two clusters: London, and Nottingham / Leeds
/ Sheffield (Notts/Yorks).
 Semi-structured interviews conducted immediately before
being resettled, and after 6 and 15/18 months. Key-worker also
completed questionnaire at baseline.
 Interviews from June 2007 to March 2010. Tracking exercise at
12 months to check respondents whereabouts.
Selected
findings
Final report to be
published on May 11th.
CONTENTS
Profile of the study respondents
 296 men and 104 women
 24% aged 17-24 years; 39% aged 25-39; 23% aged 40-49;
and 14% aged 50+ years.
 56% White British, 44% other ethnicity
 63% had mental health problems, 33% alcohol problems,
57% drug problems.
 18% had been homeless 12 months or less; 50% for 1360 months; 18% for 5-10 years; 14% more than 10 years.
Housing tenure by region
Tenure
London
Notts /
Yorks
Total
Percentages
Local authority
30
71
48
Housing association
54
18
38
Private rented
17
11
14
Sample sizes
(223)
(177)
(400)
Adjustment over time

Most were glad to have moved but found transition far from easy.

At time of moving, three-fifths without basic furniture (bed and
cooker). Most reliant on and waiting for Community Care Grant.

Some tenancies in poor condition, heating not working and utilities
not connected. Problems across all housing tenures.

Over time, many created ‘a home’ and started to rebuild their lives,
e.g. obtained jobs, started education and training courses, renewed
contact with family and children

Many continued to struggle to manage finances and pay bills, and
debts increased over time. At 15/18 months, only 42% felt they were
coping ‘very well’.
Housing outcomes at 15/18 months (%)
Outcome
London
Notts/Yorks
Total
In original accommodation
80
64
73
Moved to another tenancy
4
10
8
Streets / hostels
4
6
5
Friends / relatives
2
4
3
Hospital, prison, rehab.
1
5
3
Left tenancy, unknown
1
4
2
Unknown if still in tenancy
6
1
6
Died
1
6
1
(223)
(177)
(400)
Sample sizes
Housing outcomes at 15/18 months by tenure
Percentage of respondents
90
87
81
60
47
30
22
11
5
3
5
7
27
4
1
0
Local authority
Original accommodation
Housing association
New tenancy
Private rented
No tenancy
Left: unknown
Excludes people who died, and those for whom it is unknown if they were still in a tenancy.
Reasons for high frequency of negative
outcomes among private-renters
 Dissatisfaction with accommodation – more likely to be
rehoused in studio flats or bedsits without separate bedroom.
 Poor condition of the accommodation and repairs not done.
 Insecurity due to short tenures – for two-thirds, tenures were
12 months or less.
 High rents leading to arrears, partly due to loss of or reduced
benefits when entering employment, and partly to LHA being
paid directly to claimant.
 Less likely to have a tenancy support than those in social
housing.
Average rent arrears (£) at 15/18 months by tenure
350
305
6 months
15/18 months
300
Pounds (£s)
250
187
200
131
150
110
105
100
50
61
42
38
0
Local authority
Housing
association
Private-rented
Total
Percentages with debts over time (£)
Percentage of respondents
90
83
72
75
57
60
45
67
66
65
57
52
46
45
44
45
30
15
0
Local authority
Housing
association
when resettled
Private-rented
6 months
Total
15/18 months
Participation in education, training, work
 Once resettled, many were keen to get into a job, study or
work-training programme.
 At the time of moving, 9% had jobs (ft or pt). At 15/18 months,
18% had jobs. Many others were looking for work.
 Great deal of movement in and out of work – 38% had worked
at some time since being rehoused. Many jobs were casual or
through an agency, insecure, and low paid.
 Strong relationship between intermittent employment and
debts and eviction threats.
 Association between starting advanced education and
vocational courses and debts – loss of entitlement to social
security benefits, took out student loans to cover tuition fees
and expenses, limited opportunities to work.
Rent arrears and action taken by employment status at 15/18 months
90
Percentage of respondents
79
60
52
50
42
31
30
27
20
24
15
0
Rent arrears in last 12
months
Employed
Arrears at 15/18 months Taken to court in last 12
months
Unemployed but worked intermittently
Consistently unemployed
Tenancy support
 Only 51% respondents had contact with a tenancy support (TS)
worker after being rehoused.
 Young people least likely to have a TS worker yet most likely to
have no experience of independent-living. 27% aged 17-24
compared to 59% above this age had a TS worker.
 Strong difference in London – 93% rehoused through the
‘Clearing House’ compared to 37% rehoused in other ways had
a TS worker. Only 12% in London aged 17-24 had this help.
 The respondents who had TS received a great deal of help
from the worker and most said it was of great benefit to them.
 Some without a TS worker sought help from their former hostel
– often waited until problems serious. Hostel staff not have the
time to deal with complex problems.
Welfare reforms and the
implications for resettlement
Changes to social security benefits
Housing Benefit changes:
 LHA rates capped at £250 per week for one-bedroom flat (April ’11)
 LHA rate set at the 30th percentile, rather than current 50th (Oct ’11)
 Shared-room rate threshold applied to those aged 25-34 yrs (Jan
’12)
 LHA rates to be set by Consumer Price Index inflation, not local
rents which have grown faster than CPI (2013).
Proposal to abolish Social Fund (Community Care Grants and Crisis
Loans), and funding transferred to local authorities to deliver service.
Funding will not be ring-fenced.
Changes to housing stock and tenancies
 Reduced availability of social housing, and increased
reliance on private-rented accommodation for resettlement.
 Reducing availability of accommodation that is both low cost
and acceptable as long-term homes. Increasing reliance on
bedsits for those aged under 35.
 Shortening of social housing tenancies proposed in the
Localism Bill.
 Changes to Clearing House tenancies – two-year tenancies
from Sept ’08.
Changes to employment and training opportunities
 Decreasing availability of secure employment for those
with few job skills. Increasing need for qualifications to get
reasonably-paid, secure jobs.
 Increase in university tuition fees. Replacement of the
Education Maintenance Allowance with a Bursary Scheme.
 Plans to introduce the Universal Credit (an integrated
working-age credit) by 2013 to tackle worklessness and
welfare dependency.
 Existing government-funded programmes to help longterm unemployed into work to be replaced by a single
Work Programme.
Cuts to homelessness services
Information about extent of Supporting People cuts unclear at
present, but Homeless Link is collating data:
 Homeless services total funding – projected average
reduction of 25% for 2011/12.
 Projected that 19% of floating support services will cease
and 37% would have staffing reduced.
 On 6 April 2011, input from 31% of accommodation services.
Reported overall average funding loss of 24.6%. Estimated a
loss of 1,807 beds (reduction of 15.9%). Could amount to
nearly 7,000 beds across sector.
What is
needed
Photo ‘Leeds high density housing’ by Lynne Kirton
Maintaining the success of resettlement
Resettlement is becoming more difficult to carry out in ways
that satisfy the service users and has successful outcomes.
Tasks for the service provider organisations:
Necessary to reduce the housing expectations of the
service users, particularly those aged less than 35 years,
and to prevent undiluted negativism and alienation.
Maintain good partnership relations with the local authority,
to preserve/maximise Supporting People contracts for both
hostel services and tenancy support.
Tasks for the service provider organisations:
Work even harder to prepare clients for independent living:
 Give service users a clearer understanding of what determines
their social security benefit and Housing Benefit (LHA)
eligibility, particularly in connection with entering or leaving
employment and full-time education.
 Provide fuller guidance on the management of personal
finances, and the financial implications of independent-living.
A role for corporate partners and sponsors?
 Arrange more peer advice for those who have recently been
resettled.
 Provide more active help with obtaining basic furniture (or with
loans of camp-beds, hobs or microwaves).
Tasks for local authorities – officers and elected representatives
Work constructively with local homelessness forums and
steering groups ...
• to assert the responsibilities and aims of the Local
Homelessness Strategy
• to prevent above-average cuts to the funding for
homelessness services
Work with homelessness-service providers ...
• to improve the allocation of tenancy support services
• to develop / facilitate access to closely managed private-rented
schemes for resettlement
Our warm thanks to …
All the respondents who have participated in this study over a
very long time.
Ruby Fu, Camilla Mercer and Louise Joly who have helped
massively with running the project and coding the data.
The freelance interviewers – Gary Bellamy, Paul Gilsenan, Louise
Joly and John Miles.
Members of the Management Committee: David Fisher
(Broadway), Caroline Day and Jennifer Monfort (Centrepoint),
Peter Radage and Rachel Harding (Framework), Julie Robinson
and Tony Beech (St Anne’s), Simon Hughes and George Miller (St
Mungo’s), and John Crowther and Debra Ives (Thames Reach),
and to all their colleagues who have been Link Workers or have
otherwise assisted with recruitment and tracking.
Contact details
Tony Warnes: a.warnes@sheffield.ac.uk
Maureen Crane: m.a.crane@sheffield.ac.uk