The Panel considered the report of the
Assistant Chief Executive introducing the speakers due to address
the Inquiry in relation to the provision of key services for single
homeless people.
On hearing presentations detailing the support
services available for homeless adults and young people, from the
Society of St James, Two Saints, No Limits and Chapter 1 the Panel
noted:
- the importance of these agencies to
the Council for the provision of services to the homeless;
- how the lack of housing affected the
health of their clients;
- the aspirations and aims of the
agencies;
- how these agencies link into the
provision of health services;
- the range of services provided by
these agencies and the range of services by Agencies that ensured
that support for those individuals can be tailored dependent on
their needs;
- that these agencies provide services
that aim both to prevent further decline of an individual
circumstance and provide services that are a safety net for those
people that had no other options;
- that mediation between families to
enable a return to the family home was the preferred option for
younger clients and it acknowledged that this was not always
possible. The Panel noted that every
effort was taken to avoid young people using adult serves;
- the importance of work undertaken by
the day centres and the links between SCC and the various agencies;
- that the access to public funding
may cause a barrier for the provision of services to non- European
Union clients;
- the use private landlords with
agency support to provide housing for those in need; and
- a number of specific projects like
the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM),
Housing First and breathing spaces.
On hearing presentations from the Homeless
Health Care Team, the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services and the
Mental Health Services detailing access to and discharge from
health services, the Panel noted:
- that 1-in-5 inpatients in Southern
Health trust Mental Health Services are ready for discharge but
lack suitable accommodation;
- that homeless people are also more
likely to spend longer in acute care due to difficulties in
securing follow on support and accommodation;
- the structure and services of the
Homeless HealthCare Team;
- the predominant health concerns and
conditions that the healthcare team deal with and how they respond
to them;
- the percentage of clients using the
Drug and Alcohol services team that are either homeless or have a
housing problem;
- that the numbers of people using
drug and alcohol treatment services was increasing in
Southampton;
- that there were a number of ongoing
initiatives in the City designed to help make a difference to those
with drug or alcohol dependency;
- the importance of training
professionals so that they are aware of drug and alcohol
matters;
- the cost benefits of dealing with
those with dependency and the public support for the initiatives
like the Naxolone programme; and
- that there is an effective joint
working practice between the Substance Misuse Services and services
for people at risk of homelessness or who are currently
Homeless.
RESOLVED that the
presentations made at the meeting be noted and the information
provided be entered into the Inquiry’s file of evidence.