Justlife is in existence because we know thousands of people struggle to manage in poor and unsuitable temporary accommodation.
Their stay isn’t temporary, they are likely to be suffering with deteriorating mental and physical health, becoming victims of crime, losing control of their life and even dying prematurely.
Our strategic plan for 2022-25 outlines 3 challenges we face as an organisation and 4 approaches that we will take to overcome them.
The numbers in temporary accommodation continue to rise, the ongoing pandemic and its consequences are increasing pressure on local authorities and options for people who are homeless.
Temporary accommodation is too often seen as an answer to homelessness – which it isn’t – and it remains hidden with little understanding of its impact on people. This leads to resources not being allocated where they are needed and the issues not improving.
We remain predominantly reliant and focused on grant funding which is becoming more competitive and haven’t invested resources into exploring other potential income streams.
Driving positive change through Systems Leadership in the temporary accommodation sector, convening those with a common interest to build a movement that brings about lasting change.
Making sure that those we support are at the heart of our service design and development and involved across the organisation in meaningful ways through Co-Production.
Seeking opportunities to develop our work and find new ways to increase our impact, including working with new areas, people and partners, using tools such as Human Centred Design methods.
Focusing on our why, vision and our values, so we can be Agile and responsive, striving to be as great as we can be in everything we do.
We value the hopes and dreams of the individuals who make up the Justlife community; whether it be service users, staff, trustees or volunteers, we are committed to ensuring that everyone involved with Justlife flourishes.
In practice, this means taking a very creative and flexible approach to the programmes which we run in accordance with the skills and resources which we have available, and being prepared to stop actions as well as start them.
We are increasingly aware of the corporate nature of the charity sector. We are determined to not make ‘growth’ an aim or to enter into competitive tendering which would displace other providers from delivering services and add no value to the beneficiaries. We seek out opportunities to work in partnership to deliver new or improved services, which improve life for those close to the streets.
The health and social care landscape is changing and our models of intervention must keep evolving. We favour an agile approach; trying new ideas and interventions. We are committed to elevating the service users' voice and enabling them to belong. In practice, this means our projects can be unusual and experimental, but continually developmental.
