Between them, our Health Engagement Workers in Brighton, and Specialist Support Workers in Manchester, cover a lot of ground:
From getting people into temporary accommodation (TA) and off the streets when they present at A&E or are discharged from prison;
Supporting people while living in the chaos of TA with their mental and physical health, finances, safety, addiction and engaging with services;
To supporting people to move on from TA and into settled accommodation of their own.
And for some people, it can be difficult to recover from homelessness once in settled accommodation, so we also have projects like Social Connection, Common Ambition and Peer Research, that in different ways help people regain a sense of dignity and purpose.
This is sometimes called the homelessness journey, although that makes it sound more linear and pleasant than it tends to be.
Here, through 16 interviews, Justlife’s frontline staff give a glimpse into what they see on this journey.
Justlife has different projects to help people with different needs, at different stages of their so-called ‘homelessness journey’.
Clients include women who have experienced domestic abuse and the trauma of having children taken away, who find themselves sharing accommodation with perpetrators; as well as people who find themselves homeless after being discharged from prison, hospital or because they have been successful in their asylum claim and given weeks to find a home.
“I had a woman phone me the other day who’d been put in temporary accommodation by the council and had no electricity. And she’s got a young child and they were just like, we can’t get in touch with the landlord. And she couldn’t cook. She couldn’t clean her child. She was so distressed.”
Some clients have spent decades entrenched in the system and have created a sense of community and familiarity over the years in TA, to the point where they prefer to stay, even if the accommodation is poor. This only highlights the importance of community, particularly when you have lost your home, and why the practice of sending people out of area can be so devastating.
Other people have become homeless through a recent misfortune, perhaps a no-fault-eviction, who need help navigating the system and overcoming the shock of the poor conditions they find themselves in. And of course some people have deep trauma from a lifetime of abuse and neglect, with limited basic life skills and ability to trust.
“What we mainly see is people who are living in very poor accommodation. (...) So lots of time, people don't have any basic stuff, so we might have bought them duvets and kettles and things, try and make it more manageable. But really, what we're always trying to say to people is, it's important that you stay here so that you stay part of the housing pathway. We know it's shit.”
This refers to the local authority’s main housing duty to support you to find housing if you become homeless and fit certain criteria. If you leave the TA that you have been placed in, you make yourself intentionally homeless, and the local authority can discharge their duty to help you.
Regardless of how they are when they get into TA, people’s physical and mental health often become worse while staying there. Many are lonely and have lost skills and confidence through the homelessness experience, in addition to the problems that got them there in the first place.
A particular approach is effective in helping people move on from such misfortune, to a secure and sustainable path.
A cornerstone of the approach that makes Justlife’s frontline work so successful, is relationship building. Frontline workers spoke about helping people become independent, building their confidence and walking alongside them on this ‘journey’ with a genuine interest in who they are and what they dream of, rather than ‘doing for or to them’.
“Building relationships is absolutely essential. Frontline work, if someone doesn't like you, if someone doesn't trust you, if someone won't talk to you, you can't do anything. It is not even worth it. You can't persuade someone to do things if they're not inclined to spend any time with you."
This can only be done because there is sufficient time to establish a trusting relationship. There is a lot of mistrust as many clients have felt let down, so it is important not to repeat this experience. With trust established, it becomes possible to help people navigate the system and make the most of their particular situation, aspirations and abilities.
Many spoke of the value of using the added time that falls in between activities and meetings, while in the taxi or on the bus going to an appointment, just to chat about whatever comes to mind, using this time to build a relationship that is more than just functional. Sometimes this is when important things are said.
“Realistically they don’t trust us and they don’t know that you can help them. But the fact that we can put the time in to prove that we mean well, that we can help them, even starting off with little things, like practical things, like getting them some food, means that they’re then able to and willing to address those more daunting things with us. And I don’t think we could do that without the time and the flexibility that we have for everybody."
This is key to the success of the Justlife approach. By putting people at the centre of their own journey, emphasising collaboration over ‘fixing’, and being creative and innovative in the face of setbacks and a system that can feel impenetrable, people are helped back on track to a place of dignity and stability.
“You don’t often hear the word ‘resilience’ to describe homeless people, but actually you have to be hugely resilient, don’t you?”
In the last year, Justlife has supported 855 individuals through our frontline services, many of whom are the most difficult to reach, hidden homeless households in temporary accommodation. 89% have improved their physical health, as well as improved their tenancy management, leading to a reduction in evictions and repeat homelessness.
When it comes to mental health, 81% of the clients in Brighton recorded an improvement. In Manchester, 92% recorded an improvement to their mental health, and 87% reported a reduction in their substance misuse.
With more hours dedicated to each client, this early investment made by our frontline workers more than pays for itself in terms of reduced demand on public services, and the security of having a home and being in control of your own life. Beyond wellbeing and dignity, this saves public money.
The results speak for themselves.
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