1 Background 3
1.1 Why we need a pathway? 3
1.2 What the pathway is not? 3
1.3 Quick Reference Points 3
2 Process 3
2.1 Partner Role/Responsibilities 4
2.1.1 The Access to Housing Team 4
2.1.2 The Keys Project 4
3 Step 1: Prevention 5
3.1 Initial Presentation 5
3.2 Prevention Interview 6
3.3 What happens next? 7
4 Step 2: Assessment 7
4.1 Arranging a Homeless Interview 7
4.2 What a young person might need? 7
4.3 What you can expect? 8
4.4 Finishing the interview 9
4.5 Threatening Behaviour 9
4.6 Emergency Accommodation 10
4.7 Travel Costs 10
4.8 Food 10
5 Step 3: Needs Assessment 11
5.1 Making a Referral 12
5.2 Scheduling a Needs Assessment 13
5.3 Needs Assessment 13
5.4 Sharing Information 13
6 Step 4: Decision 14
6.1 Appeals procedure 14
7 Step 5: Resettlement 15
7.1 Supported Lodgings 15
7.1.1 Application Procedure 15
7.1.2 Process 15
7.2 Supported Accommodation 15
7.2.1 Process 15
7.3 Independent Tenancy 16
7.3.1 Nominations Process 16
7.3.2 Floating Support 16
7.3.3 Sharing Information 17
8 Out of Hours Service 17
8.1 Travelling to Accommodation 18
10 Young offenders 19
10.1 Referral Procedure 19
10.2 Stage 1: Prevention 19
10.3 Stage 2: Initial Assessment 20
10.4 Stage 3: Needs Assessment 20
10.5 Stage 5: Resettlement 20
1 Background
The Young People’s Homelessness Assessment Pathway aims to provide practical guidance on the homeless assessment and support available to 16 and 17 year olds presenting as homeless in the city of Sunderland.
It has been produced by the agencies involved in the assessment of this group; Sunderland City Councils Access to Housing Team (AHT) and the Keys Project., Children’s Services.
The assessment pathway provides practical instruction on the way that these organisations have agreed to work together. It aims to ensure the best use of limited resources and to standardise the service and information young people receive.
1.1 What the pathway is not?
The pathway relates to 16 and 17 year olds presenting as homeless to Sunderland City Council only.
It does not:
· cover young people leaving care aged 16 or 17. The accommodation needs for this group lies with the Leaving Care Service (0191 561 7300)
· cover young people under the age of 16. Any young person under 16 should be referred to Children’s Services Initial Response Team(0191 566 1500)
1.2 Quick Reference Points
To make the pathway as user-friendly as possible the following visual key has been produced.
When you see the following, you should note
/ key information will be passed to a young person/ key questions are to be asked
/ a timed deadline has been set
/ information will be passed between agencies at this point
2 Process
1. Prevention/ Advice
A young person is receives advice, information or support to prevent them becoming homeless.
2. Homelessness Assessment
A young person receives a homelessness interview, if prevention has failed or if they are presenting as being homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days.
3. Child in Need Assessment
The Keys Project assess a young person’s needs and recommend the most appropriate housing outcome for the young person.
4. Decision
A young person is informed of the decision made on their case
5. Resettlement
Young people and their support workers source apply for and secure settled accommodation.
3 Step 1: Prevention
/ The Access to Housing Team or the Keys Project are the first port of call for any 16-17 year old who is homeless or at risk of homelessness.AHT can be contacted by
1. Telephone on 0800 781 2968[1]
2. Directly presenting at any of the following[2]:
· Customer Service Centre Fawcett Street: Mon-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
· Houghton Library: Wednesday, 9:30am-12:00am[3]
· Washington Health Centre: Wednesday, 9:30am-12:00am4
3.1 Initial Presentation
On presenting to the Access to Housing Team, young people will receive a prevention interview.
A prevention interview is designed to unpack the complex chain of circumstances that can lead to someone becoming homeless i.e. relationship breakdown, loss of employment, rent arrears and offer advice and information on how to deal with these. It is hoped that by targeting the causes of a young persons housing crisis a full homelessness application can be prevented.
A homelessness application will only be offered in place of a prevention interview where:
· alternative arrangements for accommodation cannot be made
· the applicant is fleeing violence
· the chance of preventing homelessness is considered by staff to be unlikely
· a young person expressly requests that a full homelessness application be made.
When arranging a prevention interview the young person will be asked the following:
/ Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?Young people rough sleeping have the option to speak to a member of The Access to Housing Team straight away.
/ Is there any reason you need the interview to take place elsewhere?The Access to Housing Team can meet people in their own home or elsewhere if appropriate. Young people living outside of Sunderland City Centre may want to meet at the Wednesday morning surgeries in Houghton or Washington.
/ Would you like a male or female worker to carry out the interview?Young people have the right to choose the gender of their interviewer, especially when discussing sensitive issues such as domestic violence.
/ Do you need any specialist support?A young person can request any support or services necessary for them to actively engage in their interview. Translation or signing services are available. Copies of letters and documents can be provided in Braille, large print, another language or audiotape.
/ The Access to Housing Team will schedule an appointment within five days of your initial contact.The young person will be sent a letter to remind them of their appointment time and the name of their interviewer.
3.2 Prevention Interview
Prevention interviews are carried out in a quiet, comfortable and private environment. Friends, family members and support workers are welcome to sit in on the interview if the young person requests.
As part of the prevention interview, a member of the AHT Team will record:
· contact details
· whether they have sought help before
· relationship with family/friends
· reasons for being in housing need
· previous housing history
· any support received from other agencies
/ Staff will make clear to the young person that this is a prevention interview and not a homelessness assessment.Staff will produce a summary the prevention interview and a copy of this will be signed by the young person as a true record.
Please note that if during the interview it is found out a young person is working with Sunderland Youth Offending Service an alternative support pathway is in place. See Section 11 for details. Should this stay in?
3.3 What happens next?
For many young people the prevention interview will be sufficient to prevent homelessness but if the problem continues or circumstances get worse contact HOT immediately.
/ Any key actions from a prevention interview are included in a letter sent to the applicant within two working days of their interviewIt is likely that most young people under the age of 18 will be fast-tracked to a homelessness assessment straight away.
4 Step 2: Assessment
For a young person aged 16 and 17 presenting as homeless the assessment procedure has two phases:
· Phase 1: Initial Assessment by Access to Housing Team
· Phase 2: Child in Need Assessment by the Keys Project
4.1 Arranging a Homeless Interview
In some circumstances where a young person is eligible to apply as homeless but has somewhere to stay on a temporary basis HOT will schedule a homelessness interview in advance.
However if emergency accommodation is needed that night a homelessness assessment will take place straight away.
4.2 What a young person might need?
/ All young people presenting for their homeless interview should be advised to bring:· Proof of their identify i.e. passport, birth certificate, driving licence
· National Insurance Number
· Proof of income i.e. benefit books or most recent pay slip
· Proof of children’s identity if appropriate(see above)
· Evidence of any tenancy or license agreement you have or had
· Information about any disability or illness
· Details of pregnancy i.e. letter from GP or Hospital confirming due date
If a young person does not have, access to this information (i.e. has fled home) the agencies will work on their behalf to recover this
4.3 What you can expect?
The initial homelessness interview is a long process lasting approximately 1 hour and one required by law to collect a lot of detailed information.
However, at all times a young person can expect:
· to be treated with courtesy and dignity
· to be able to suspend the interview if they need
· the right to specify the gender of their interviewer and have it carried out n a quiet and private place and with the support of a translator or sensory support as appropriate.
/ Before starting the interview, a young person will be asked if they are happy for i.e. family or friends to sit in?The interview has four key steps:
Step 1: Explanation
HOT will explain the purpose and format of the interview, making sure the young person is comfortable.
Step 2: Establishing Cause
The young person is given an opportunity to explain the problem in his or her own words. The AHT are looking to clarify the specific cause of homelessness, the facts of the case and the order in which everything happened.
Step 3: Outlining Options
A young person is introduced to the five tests, which will be used to measure their homelessness[4].
If a young person fails any of these tests, the local authority may not have a duty to provide them with accommodation.
Step 4: Summary
AHT to ensure the young person knows what is going to happen next, all their possible outcomes and how they will be contacted.
Through the interview, a young person will be asked:
/ Do you have any family which you could stay with?In situations where family relationships are neither abusive nor pose a risk to the young persons physical and mental well being a young person is best accommodated with family and preferably within the parental home.
During their interview all 16-17 year olds will be asked to identify family members they believe may be able to provide them with accommodation on a temporary or permanent basis.
AHT will contact relevant people at the addresses the young person has been living at to confirm whether they are homeless or not.
/ Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?The AHT has a duty to offer emergency accommodation until a homelessness decision has been made.
For the majority of 16-17 year olds emergency accommodation will be offered in supported housing schemes that can offer a place that day. Bed and breakfasts and guesthouses are sometimes used where there is no alternative option. If a young person can stay elsewhere on a temporary basis i.e. with friends or family, efforts will be made to contact those offering accommodation.
If the young person feels unsafe in the emergency accommodation offered to them, a review of where they are staying takes place every Monday. A young person or their support worker can request their accommodation is changed by approaching the AHT allocations team.
/ Do you need your possessions storing?The council does have an approved contractor to remove household contents and keep it in storage until a homelessness investigation has been completed.
If a young person only has loose belongings i.e. bags of clothes or belongings these should be taken with them into emergency accommodation. The agencies are not able to store loose belongings on the behalf of a young person.
The use of the removal firm is agreed by the AHT Team Leader on specifying how many rooms need to be packed.
4.4 Finishing the interview
/ Each young person leaving a homelessness application interview should:· Receive a copy of the summary of their homelessness application including a list key actions to be completed by both the AHT and them
· Know the name of their individual Housing Options Advisor, who will be their contact through the process
· Be given a explaining the investigation procedure and importance of the needs assessment(copies attached)
· Sign a confidentiality statement allowing the HOT to contact others about their case
4.5 Threatening Behaviour
If a young person exhibits, threatening or abusive behaviour the interview may be suspended.
Members of the AHT who witness activity of this type have a duty to inform fellow colleagues and members of the Keys Team.
Sharing information on an incident is to help protect staff and will not affect a young person’s application.
4.6 Emergency Accommodation
If a young person requires emergency accommodation, the AHT will contact Centrepoint, a direct access hostel or Nightstop, a scheme providing emergency beds with private households.. If there is no space available through either of these there then local Bed & Breakfast providers will be contacted.
4.7 Travel Costs
Unfortunately, the provision of Bed & Breakfast Accommodation within Sunderland is limited and as such, a young person may have to travel to their bed and breakfast.
Transport costs to get for all 16-17 years travelling to B&B can be provided by the Access to Housing Team with the support of Children’s Services if necessary.