Prevention & Tackling Single Homelessness

Free available support and resources from NHAS NHAS Training for Local Authorities NHAS are developing and delivering a course to compliment the roll out of £20million funding to 42 lead LAs to prevent rough sleeping and improve advice and assistance provided to single people to prevent homelessness. The purpose of the course is to support housing options frontline staff to improve homelessness advice and housing options for single homeless people. The focus will be on the prevention of single homelessness and to reduce the risk of rough sleeping by ensuring that good quality advice and assistance is provided to households found not in priority need or intentionally homeless. The aim will be to provide support to housing options front line staff to ensure that all households approaching a local authority for homelessness assistance receive good quality advice on their housing options and recognise that prevention options are open to them to resolve their homelessness, regardless of whether they are likely to be owed the main homelessness duty. The course will also identify joint working opportunities with wider services, to achieve the potential to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping and promote linkages with other DCLG initiatives to prevent homelessness such as the national roll out of No Second Night Out, access to PRS supported by Crisis and Homeless Transition administered by Homeless Link.

NHAS Local Authority Training Course – Advising and Assisting Single People & Non-priority households Overall aim of the course To increase awareness of the duties and powers of local authority staff in providing advice and assistance to non priority households/clients and identify steps that can be taken to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping Objectives To support local authorities and their partners in the effective delivery of housing options and prevention services for single people, who may be at risk of rough sleeping or are already rough sleeping Recognise best practice when completing and providing confirmation of advice and assistance letters Develop best practice in case recording procedures for all clients presenting to Housing Options Identify action that can be taken to assist clients who are at high risk of rough sleeping due to homelessness Identify prevention action for clients who are about to lose their accommodation – this will include reference to recent changes in legislation around squatting Identify longer term housing needs to prevent future homelessness To develop a clear understanding of the advice and assistance duties and powers to non-priority clients, under Pt VII of the Housing Act and Code of Guidance To consider how LAs may work with other services to enable local authorities to provide advice and assistance and where appropriate multi disciplinary assessments, to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping To ensure that LA partners delivering services for single people, are part of a joint working delivery model, supporting prevention work via effective communication channels and cooperative working Be familiar with good practice tools and resources available to assist you in your role

Advising and Assisting Single People & Non-priority households Pre course preparation: to prepare for the training session and facilitate discussion on the day we will ask that participants bring with them: details of the key stakeholders and partners they may have in their area, with whom they will be working in the coming months. Who the course is aimed at This is a basic level course for frontline Housing Options staff, it is not designed for senior managers, team leaders or senior practitioner roles. However if such officers attend the training it should be with the purpose of cascading the information to their front line staff. Training will be provided to a maximum of 18 delegates to enhance the learning experience and allow delegates to successfully participate in course activities. How the course will be scheduled and delivered The most effective way to schedule the training in each area is to work directly with a ‘host’ lead authority to facilitate cluster training for local authority groupings and communicate key messages to each local authority regarding who should attend and how knowledge can be cascaded. NHAS have committed to deliver 42 courses nationwide with the aim of providing one full day training to each Lead Authority. Each Lead would then be required to provide a suitable training venue and coordinate delegates who should attend training from each of the local authorities in its grouping.

Further training Webinar Training A webinar session for Team Leaders/Seniors is in development and will be available later this year. NHAS Training Programme NHAS currently provide training to all Local Authorities in England in a range of housing law subjects. To find out more, or to book a course, call Debbie Watson, NHAS Project Officer on or Or go to our website to view the NHAS Programme for Local Authorities.

Local Authority Housing Advice Line (LAHAL) NHAS Local Authority Housing Advice Line (LAHAL) is a dedicated advice line for Housing Options and Homelessness staff. To discuss any housing or homelessness case. Initial advice is provided over the phone followed by written confirmation of advice sent by . We have an access protocol and promotional materials for this service, which can be sent to you if required or are available on the member’s pages of the NHAS website , Monday-Friday