Local Government and Homelessness - Leanne’s Churchill Fellowship journey

Wow - Wigan! I was really excited to visit here because I had already heard so much about the Wigan Deal - an agreement between Wigan council and residents to make a better borough. It was born out of the cuts that councils across England were forced to make in the last ten years , as a result of austerity measures .   While other councils resorted to 'salami slicing' - delivering across the board cuts to services - or used their reserves to make up for budget shortfalls, Wigan chose to make the reductions in a smarter way.   They took time to understand what people needed most in their local areas and then invested in community infrastructure and the local service sector, enabling them to deliver the services and functions in areas where they were best equipped.   The Deal sets out core behaviours for council staff - be positive, be accountable, be courageous - and a shared way of working, articulating the responsibilities of both council and community. This ...

Equipped with a list on their phones of reported places, and their own knowledge of city spots, I set off early on Tuesday morning with Robyn and Rahat as they gently approached people seeking shelter under awnings, tucked in corners and on shop fronts, asking if they were ok. They are part of a team of 11, who do morning and evening shifts as part of Manchester's homelessness outreach team, working in the central city and at the airport. Their approach is soft and respectful: 'have you been here long?' 'where are you from?' 'do you know about our centres - you can go and get food, supplies and talk to some people'. In the mall we come across a man sleeping with no bedding outside a large shop. He says he's been sleeping rough for a few days after getting out of jail. He is not local, which makes it harder for him to access accommodation. There are some places through A Bed Every Night -  a program set up in greater Manchester to meet the needs of those...

In a move aimed to reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility, earlier this year, Rochale Council took a bold step in bringing external contracts for homelessness services and housing response in-house. I spent the day in Rochdale and am very thankful to Stephen Broughton, their Housing Project Officer, who was so kind with his information, introductions and his time.  More than 218,000 people live in the  Borough of Rochdale  which is 25km and 20 minutes by train from Manchester city.   About 20,000 people sit on the housing waiting list and around 8-10 people are recorded sleeping rough each month. Emerging from the pandemic, pressure on limited housing stock is rising, with the Council now opening around 25 per cent more homelessness cases when than at the start of 2000. In these difficult circumstances, Rochade are committed to improving service delivery and I was interested to hear about their strategic shift towards a connected service model, combining Counc...

I have made it to the UK  and it’s about to begin - first stop Manchester on Monday. But before it does, I have been reflecting back on what brought me here.  Today I dug out the remarks I made at the Churchill Fellowship dinner in 2019. Sharing below for a little context. **** In the summer of 2016, literally over the period of just a few weeks, homelessness – specifically, rough sleeping  –  became a very visible issue in Melbourne.  At the time I’d been managing the City of Melbourne’s homelessness team for a few months. Our team was a small group of mainly social workers, neatly enveloped in a section of the Council that focused on the welfare of city communities. We delivered a homelessness strategy that committed to develop sustainable pathways out of homelessness and our work was embedded in a protocol aligned to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. When the first complaints were raised – and they were very legitimate concerns – from business owners...

Hi everyone!  Thanks for dropping in on my blog. It was almost exactly three years ago today, that I heard I’d received a  Churchill Fellowship . I jumped around a lot that day (it was 2019 and my knees were much stronger) and was so excited about my planned trip in 2020… And you know how that story goes... So here I am, embarking on attempt number two. A slightly modified journey, taking me to the UK, US and Canada, from late September through to November 2022.   I have a packed itinerary, planning to visit a ton of places, attending meetings and field trips with counterparts working in all levels of government, social service agencies, peak bodies, libraries and universities.   I can't wait to share my observations, so keep coming back to read more. And please post comments and questions and get in touch.  Leanne