Cuts Put Help for Homeless People at Risk

Research by Homeless Link indicates that funding cuts are having an impact on the ability of charities to help those without a home.  With the number of homeless people increasing by 10% in 2012 , the annual ‘Survey of Needs and Provision’ (SNAP), found that nearly five out of ten projects saw their funding fall - by an average of 17%. With most services reliant on local authority funding, the findings indicate that the capacity of the sector to house and help new homeless people has fallen.

    *In the year to November 2012, 58 accommodation projects closed and 1,811 bed spaces were lost.

    *The number of full-time staff has reduced by 16% since 2010.

There has also been a decrease in the number of services offering targeted support to help clients with the most complex problems.  Download a copy of the report from the Homeless Link website.

Fears Grow For Homeless As Fewer Projects and Beds Reported

There were nearly 40 fewer homelessness projects and more than 1,000 fewer bed spaces reported this year compared to last year, according to a survey. Homeless Link’s Survey of Needs and Provision (SNAP) 2011 - which provides an overview of homelessness services available in England - also said there was a 6% decrease in the number of projects primarily funded by Supporting People funding. The survey, which was based on the findings of a telephone survey of 500 homelessness providers, comes as some councils have announced that they will make funding cuts of up to 50% this year to their Supporting People programmes, which fund additional services for vulnerable people. Download a copy of the report from the Homeless Link website.

Research Indicates That Cuts Are Already Hitting Homelessness Services

Research by Homeless Link, the umbrella body for homeless charities, indicates that cuts in public funding are already having an impact - with services closing, fewer beds available and more projects having to turn homeless people away. The annual SNAP study (Survey of Needs and Provision) charts changes across homeless services in England. The survey of 500 day centres and accommodation projects, carried out in September 2010, highlights a number of worrying trends:
Falling funding
* 70% of all services cited ‘funding’ as the top issue facing their project,
* 50% of services said that they had seen a reduction in income in 2010. Of this group, 63% believed that lower funding had impacted on clients,
* The two most common impacts of the cuts cited were reduction in staff and reduced services and/or closures.
Read more and download a copy of the research report on the Homeless Link website.