1. Director Street and Hostel Services
Making Money Work
Audrey Mitchell
Director Street and Hostel Services
29 April 2010

2. The Thames Reach approach
Making Money Work
The Thames Reach approach
Changes in key-working
More appropriate support
Financial inclusion plans

3. Outreach Hostels Specialist housing Tenancy support Resettlement
Learning & employment
39 teams
400 paid staff volunteers service users – some “brief intervention” clients – core group around 4500 each year
Of course secure and safe housing is fundamentally important but we know that to really have fulfilling lives people need more - and being clear and confident about how they use money is vital to that

4. £ embedded in all systems
Changes to keywork
£ embedded in all systems
easier conversations
proactive and empowering
aspirations are a priority
small steps
Discussions about £ threaded through conversations from initial assessment, during ongoing support planning
Conversations are more comfortable and proactive
ensures that aspirational goals are kept on the agenda, and the role that £ plays within it – not just “needs”
links with outcome star
small steps – talk about £ as part of holistic service, each support review, risk management etc

5. Learning and more appropriate support
money causes anxiety/apathy
resistance and suspicion
need long term input and focus
staff positivity vital
need to make it easy/fun
what we’ve found out: money causes anxiety, resistance to accounts etc – need a lot of focus to turn around
Staff need a wide range of toolkits/knowledge so a “next step” is quickly available for signposting etc
need to make using any toolkit fun
long term focus and priority for us

6. Financial inclusion plans
link with personalisation
priority = in all workplans
monitor and develop further
focus for service user groups
embedded = inclusion in practice
Having clarity and confidence around money is the difference between being empowered and not.
We know from our personalisation pilots how vital it is to have an awareness of money
often in person centred plans, goals are identified which need some resources –
we need to ensure that work on financial inclusion is outlined in every team’s workplan – so for some teams there will be targets in terms of offering the workbook to SU s.,
- we will monitor and develop further - hopefully an interactive electronic version so that decisions around money can be made anytime; a focus group of staff and service users
we need to continue to ask service users for their views – both in the SU survey but in other ways too
knowing how to manage money is as fundamental as literacy, shelter or good health and we will be continuing to make financial inclusion more than just words – putting it into practice

7. Mission: Vision: live in decent homes,
helping homeless and vulnerable people
live in decent homes,
build supportive relationships and
lead fulfilling lives
Vision:
To end street homelessness
Our mission and vision -- we won’t achieve either unless financial inclusion is embedded and prioritised