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A. Background |
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| Name of LA: |
| Contact officer name: |
| Designation: | E-mail: |
| Tel: | Interview date: |
B. General |
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1. | How does your authority prevent homelessness? | |
a) | through activities undertaken by homelessness casework staff* | Y/N |
b) | through activities undertaken by other LA staff | Y/N |
c) | through activities commissioned** from outside agencies | Y/N |
| *i.e. LA staff tasked with assessing / investigating homelessness applications ** i.e. where the activities are funded or otherwise actively enabled by the LA | |
2. | If answering Yes to Q1(c), do you have specific procedures / protocols in use to aid joint working on prevention? | Y/N |
Comments: | |
3. | In responding to approaches from people claiming homelessness does your authority normally: | |
a) | undertake a formal homelessness assessment on the basis of the applicant's claim of homelessness, or | If (a), go to Q6 |
b) | undertake an initial interview focusing on the household's housing options before deciding whether to undertake a formal homelessness assessment? | If (b), go to Q4 |
4. | If (b) on Q3, how are people claiming homelessness filtered before being referred to a formal assessment of their status in relation to the legislation? | Open-ended |
5. | And how long has the approach described in Q4 been in operation? | |
a) | Less than 12 months | |
b) | 1-3 years | |
c) | Over 3 years | |
6. | Thinking about those households who present as homeless but are assisted to avoid homelessness through prevention activities, would you normally record such cases as an application within your HL1 returns? | Y/N If Yes, go to Q7 If No, go to Q8 |
7. | If Yes on Q6, how are such households are normally recorded? - as households found to be 'not homeless'? | |
8. | If No on Q6, are such cases recorded for internal statistical monitoring purposes? | Y/N |
9. | Does your authority undertake home visits in respect of people claiming homelessness? | |
a) | Yes, routinely in all cases involving a person or family being asked to leave the home of a host household (e.g. the parental home) | |
b) | Yes, routinely in cases involving more narrowly defined circumstances - specify details | |
c) | Occasionally but not routinely for any group | |
d) | No | |
C. Housing Advice and Housing Options Interviews to Prevent Homelessness |
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Note that this section is specifically concerned with advice and assistance to prevent homelessness and directed at private tenants or young adults living with parents, friends or relatives. It does not include advice and assistance services provided to social renters. |
10. | Does your authority provide or commission: | |
a) | Housing advice work to assist people at risk of homelessness avoid actual homelessness? | Y/N |
b) | Housing options work (i.e customised / personal housing plans) to assist people at risk of homelessness avoid actual homelessness? | Y/N |
11. | If Yes to Q10 either a) or b), is this service provided: | |
a) | by homelessness casework staff (i.e. LA staff tasked with assessing / investigating homelessness applications) | Y/N |
b) | as a specific project by other LA staff (other than homelessness caseworkers) | Y/N |
c) | as an activity undertaken by external organisation(s) under contract | Y/N |
12. | How is housing advice and housing options work to avert homelessness provided? | |
a) | entirely from an office-based officer or team (by phone or face to face) | If (b), go to Q13 |
b) | through outreach work in addition to an office-based officer or team | |
13. | If you do provide outreach work, please provide brief details of the location(s) and/or institution(s) and target group(s) concerned | Open ended |
D. Family Mediation to Prevent Homelessness |
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14. | Does your authority undertake or commission family mediation activities to assist people at risk of homelessness avoid actual homelessness? If No, go to Q21 | Y/N |
15. | If Yes, is family mediation undertaken: | |
a) | by homelessness casework staff (i.e. LA staff tasked with assessing / investigating homelessness applications), for example through home visits, | Y/N |
b) | as a specific project by other LA staff (other than homelessness caseworkers) | Y/N |
c) | as an activity undertaken by an external organisation under contract | Y/N |
16 | What is the target group for family mediation? | Open ended |
17. | In practice, who are the main beneficiaries of this kind of activity? | |
a) | Family households and other people otherwise likely to be treated as 'in priority need' should they become actually homeless or | |
b) | Single and childless people otherwise likely to be treated as 'non-priority' should they become actually homeless | |
c) | Don't know / not possible to say | |
18. | Is there an expectation that homeless households in target groups will participate in family mediation or is it an entirely voluntary choice on the part of potential service users? | |
a) | Expectation | |
b) | Voluntary choice | |
19. | How would you rate the take-up of family mediation services aimed at assisting people at risk of homelessness avoid actual homelessness? What factors influence take-up? | Open ended |
20. | For the financial year 2005/06, could you provide statistics on: | |
a) | family mediation activity? (number of cases referred, number of cases counselled) | Y/N |
b) | family mediation success rates? (no of cases where reconciliation achieved) | Y/N |
c) | mediation referrals which failed to achieve lasting reconciliation but nevertheless prevented homelessness (i.e. creating a breathing space enabling a planned move) | Y/N |
21. | How long has your authority's family mediation service (as currently delivered) been in operation? | |
a) | Less than 12 months | |
b) | 1-3 years | |
c) | Over 3 years | |
E. Assisted Access to Private Tenancies |
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22. | Does your authority provide advocacy and/or practical assistance to people at risk of homelessness to help them access private tenancies (before they become homeless) - e.g. making contact with private landlords on a client's behalf? (If No, go to Q30) | Y/N |
23. | If Yes on Q22, is this function undertaken: | |
a) | by homelessness casework staff (i.e. LA staff tasked with assessing / investigating homelessness applications), for example through home visits, | Y/N |
b) | as a specific project by other LA staff (other than homelessness caseworkers) | Y/N |
c) | as an activity undertaken by an external organisation under contract | Y/N |
24. | If Yes on Q22, does your authority assist people at risk of homelessness to access private tenancies before they become homeless through providing financial support or backing - e.g. making available rent deposit or guarantees etc? | Y/N |
25. | If Yes on Q24, briefly describe the services offered: | Open-ended |
26 | What is the target group for this service/these services? | Open ended |
27. | In practice, who are the main beneficiaries of the activity described in Q24? | |
a) | Family households and other people otherwise likely to be treated as 'in priority need' should they become actually homeless or | |
b) | Single people and childless couples otherwise likely to be treated as 'non-priority' should they become actually homeless | |
c) | Don't know / not possible to say | |
28. | For the financial year 2005/06, could you provide statistics on: | |
a) | activity in assisting people at risk of homelessness to access private tenancies? (no. of cases assisted to get tenancies) | Y/N |
b) | success rates? (no. of cases where tenancy taken up, no of cases were tenancy is sustained for more than 6 months) | Y/N |
29. | How long has your authority's 'assisted access to private tenancies' service (as currently delivered) been in operation? | |
a) | Less than 12 months | |
b) | 1-3 years | |
c) | Over 3 years | |
F. Debt Counselling |
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30. | Does your authority undertake or commission debt counselling for people at risk of homelessness due to rent or mortgage arrears or other debts? If No, go to Q34 | Y/N |
31. | If Yes to Q30, is debt counselling undertaken: | |
a) | by homelessness casework staff (i.e. LA staff tasked with assessing / investigating homelessness applications), for example through home visits | Y/N |
b) | as a specific project by other LA staff (other than homelessness caseworkers) | Y/N |
c) | as an activity undertaken by an external organisation under contract | Y/N |
32. | For the financial year 2005/06, could you provide statistics on debt counselling activity? (no. of cases referred, number of cases counselled) | Y/N |
33. | How long has your authority's debt counselling service (as currently delivered) been in operation? | |
a) | Less than 12 months | |
b) | 1-3 years | |
c) | Over 3 years | |
H. Other Prevention Activities |
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34. | Do you operate specific homelessness prevention activities for any of the following groups which you have not already mentioned? | |
a) | young people | Y/N |
b) | vulnerable tenants in social rented housing | Y/N |
c) | people leaving long term institutional settings (hospital, prison, local authority care, armed forces) | Y/N |
d) | people at risk of homelessness due to relationship breakdown | Y/N |
e) | people at risk of eviction due to rent or mortgage arrears | Y/N |
f) | people at risk of eviction due to anti-social behaviour | Y/N |
g) | those at risk of sleeping rough (rooflessness) | Y/N |
h) | Black and minority ethnic households | Y/N |
35. | Do you have any 'early warning' systems in place for identifying people who may benefit from homeless prevention services but have not approached formal housing/welfare services (e.g. by presenting as homeless)? | Y/N |
36. | If yes, please describe: | Open-ended |
37. | For rural authorities only: Does the remote nature of some communities in your authority have implications on the way that homelessness prevention services are delivered? | Open-ended |
I. Monitoring and Effectiveness |
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38. | In terms of its overall scale and numerical impact (that is number of households prevented from becoming homeless) which is your authority's most significant homelessness prevention activity? | |
39. | What would you see as the most effective homelessness prevention activity undertaken by your authority? | |
40. | What would you see as the most cost-effective homelessness prevention activity undertaken by your authority? | |
41. | Do you have any procedures in place for monitoring and/or evaluating the cost effectiveness of any of prevention activities discussed? | Y/N |
42. | Since 2003, how has the amount of homelessness prevention activity taking place in your local authority changed?: | |
a) | Significantly more | |
b) | A little more | |
c) | No change | |
d) | A little less | |
e) | Significantly less | |
42. | We have focused upon homelessness prevention activities currently taking place. Do you have plans to develop any new homelessness prevention activities before the end of the current Strategy period? (for example, through Innovation Fund) | Y/N |
43. | If Yes, please provide brief details of these planned activities: | Open-ended |
44 | What are the most important factors impeding your ability to be more active in preventing homelessness? (List up to three in priority order) | |
45 | Any other comments on homelessness prevention: | |