Section 2: Economic inequality in Gateshead

In May 2017 the Gateshead Homelessness and Multiple and Complex Needs Health Needs Assessment (HNA) (Gateshead Homelessness and Multiple and Complex Needs Health Needs Assessment - May 2017 (PDF, 4 MB))  highlighted the strong overlap between homelessness and other support needs such as substance misuse, physical and mental ill health, cycles of physical and emotional abuse and involvement with the criminal justice system.

Homelessness is evidence of inequality and is a late marker of exclusion and disadvantage. Current evidence suggests that homelessness results from the impact of structural, institutional, relationship and personal risk factors and triggers which have a cumulative impact and are often underpinned by poverty and structural inequalities. 

The prevalence of problematic childhood experiences among those with multiple and complex needs points to a need for improved understanding within services of routes into multiple exclusion homelessness and earlier targeted work with children who are experiencing issues that may relate to later homelessness. (Tackling homelessness and exclusion: Understanding complex lives.)

The HNA identified evidence to suggest that our current system is weakest where it needs to be strongest. The way services are funded, commissioned, monitored and measured often requires homeless, vulnerable individuals with multiple and overlapping needs to navigate a complex system that requires them to engage and manage relationships with numerous different agencies simultaneously in order to address their needs.

Homelessness is not just a housing issue

Catherine Hattam, The Gateshead Housing Company

"Any contact made by a potential client needs to be regarded by all services as an opportunity to meaningfully engage with that person. The contact should be used to identify signs or triggers which may indicate that a household may be at risk of homelessness."

As agencies, we come into contact with individuals and families at different stages and all have different triggers such as truancy, debt, multiple visits to A&E, offending history and referrals into children services. The trigger points should be used as opportunities to identify potential early intervention options to prevent homelessness.

The system in which we all work continues to create barriers for individuals and families who try to access services before crisis point. We have a culture of 'assessing clients out' of the system, rather than into services. Essentially by identifying why we cannot help rather than looking at how we can help.

By failing to use the opportunity of a contact, to see the person and take a full account of their needs and wants, we risk missing an opportunity to support people earlier (at a preventative stage) and instead, when things deteriorate, we end up responding to crisis contacts.

Unless we truly see the person from a holistic perspective and understand the root cause of the presenting issue or crisis, we will only continue to "patch up "and move them on until the next crisis. The Homelessness team are working hard to consider our approach to addressing some of these challenges and review how we work across the council.

The Gateshead Housing Company (TGHC) was successful in securing national funding for a 'Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub' for rough sleepers. The hubs provided an intervention tool to end rough sleeping. The Hubs allowed us to rapidly assess the needs of people who were sleeping rough and those who are at risk of sleeping rough and support them to get the right help quickly.

In the same round of funding, TGHC was also successful in securing funding for seven additional units of 'Housing First' accommodation for clients at risk of rough sleeping. 

This funding helped TGHC to continue to work in partnership with Oasis Community Housing to increase the capacity of their Basis Beds (Housing First units) to assist more clients at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.

The Housing First (Housing First) approach is about doing things differently. It is an internationally evidenced based approach which indicates that individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage are more likely to lead fulfilling lives if they are provided with a stable home and good quality, open ended, support.

Although in its early stages some of the work we are doing on homelessness has started to give us a picture, of the broader reasons why, certain households lose their home end up in the worst form of homelessness, rough sleeping.

The approach taken with this client group has allowed staff time to get to know the clients and build a picture of their lives prior to becoming homeless. There are common themes of adverse childhood experiences, domestic abuse, sexual and physical abuse and a history of care. This knowledge brings an understanding of the true nature of homelessness and why it occurred, which then can help to create solutions. The solutions required are more than just bricks and mortar, to be effective they need to address the underlying causes.