Homeless support change ‘threat to most vulnerable’

A SHAKE-UP of homelessness policy will cost 30 jobs in the voluntary sector and could leave some of the city’s most vulnerable people without vital support, it was claimed today.

Council chiefs are consulting on a new strategy for support services to prevent homelessness, including bringing much of the work in-house and introducing new time limits on the help provided.

But the trade union Unite said the proposals, which aim to save £1.3 million, would mean 30 posts in voluntary organisations which currently provide support would disappear and volunteers would be brought in as cheap, unskilled labour to replace professionals.

Those on the receiving end of the support include people who have been sexually abused as children, witnessed violence at home, been taken into care, separated from siblings, spent time in a secure unit, been involved with drugs and found themselves living on the street.

Under the proposals, the support they get – helping them to make the transition to having a home of their own – will be limited to six months; housing support workers will not be able to work with them on addiction or mental health problems; and their emotional needs will be met by volunteers.

Labour’s voluntary sector spokesman, Ewan Aitken, warned if the changes went ahead, the lives of some of society’s most troubled members would be made more brutal and short.

He said: “These folk have deep and lifetime needs and there is a real danger their lives will be over if the support is removed in the way that appears to be planned.

“There seems to be a drive to close cases as a benchmark of success, when the real mark of success is sticking with these folk so they don’t have to access services again and again.

“The kind of problems they have can’t be solved overnight.

“They are trying to put a time limit on sorting out folk’s lifetime conditions. It’s not a sign of failure if you don’t sort out 40 years of severe dysfunction in four weeks or four months.”

Ian McDonald, from Unite, said: “The need for this service isn’t going to go away, the current arrangement provides value for money.

“Using volunteers as cheap, unskilled, under-trained labour for work with vulnerable adults is a serious concern.”

A council spokesman said: “It is important to stress this is a consultation exercise. No decisions have been made and we are keen to hear all interested parties’ views.”

He said talk of redundancies was “speculation”, adding: “Results from consultation showed that service providers and staff believe that around six months of support is sufficient to provide a transition to independent living and self-reliance in most cases.”

RENT DEBT LOW
Rent arrears owed by council tenants in Edinburgh are at a record low for the seventh consecutive year.

The total debt at the end of March 2011 was down to £1.2 million from a high of £3m in 2003-4.

The number of tenants evicted because of rent arrears is also at a record low. Figures show 112 people were forced to leave their homes, down from 175.

Housing convener Paul Edie said: “Our policy of getting people to pay their rent while seeking alternatives to eviction is working.”