SUPPORTING PEOPLE-FUNDED TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Presentation to the Housing Studies Association Conference 19 April 2012 John Palmer BA CIH Member NORTH HARBOUR CONSULTING

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION HOMELESSNESS IN NI NIHE is the statutory homelessness agency for NI 18,000 to 21,000 households per annum applied to NIHE for assistance between 2003/04 and 2010/2011 6,500 to 9,000 p.a. awarded ‘full duty applicant’ status Households are defined as ‘homeless’ if –there is no accommodation that they are entitled to occupy; or –they have accommodation but it is not reasonable for them to continue to occupy this accommodation NIHE has a duty to consider their immediate needs and offer temporary accommodation with support if appropriate If they are ‘roofless’ and ‘vulnerable’ North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION ROUTES INTO TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION NIHE has four main options for the provision of temporary accommodation –Supporting People-funded hostels owned by NIHE (mainly for families) –SP-funded accommodation provided by the voluntary sector (mainly for single people) –Private sector accommodation not SP-funded (families and single people) –Accommodation with family or friends This research focussed mainly on the first two options funded by SP Grant North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FUNDING TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION Two main sources –Housing Benefit funds housing costs –Supporting People Grant funds housing-related support SP funding for ‘temporary accommodation’ is provided on the basis that –It is not permanent housing and is normally provided for 1 year or less However, this aim can be frustrated by: –Non-availability of permanent move-on accommodation –Resident’s continuing need for intensive support –Quality of temporary accommodation vs permanent accommodation (consumer preference) –Provider’s performance North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SIZE OF THE SP-FUNDED HOUSING SECTOR 1,500 places in Supporting People-funded temporary accommodation for homeless Average length of stay is 7.5 months SP-funded emporary accommodation provides for approx 2,500 households each year - far fewer than the 6,500 to 9,000 households accepted as FDA This results in significant use of the private rented sector It puts a premium on provider performance in SP- funded accommodation – the focus of the research North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION STATISTICS 110 providers of SP-funded accommodation –elderly, disabled, mental health specialist services, and homeless services 38 providers with temporary accommodation for the homeless providing –96 schemes –1460 units of accommodation (the term covers houses, flats, bedspaces in shared accommodation etc) Contract value in 2010/2011 = £23,073,000 North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AIMS OF THE RESEARCH To develop and apply performance measures that are appropriate for different providers and schemes –To form a basis for benchmarking ‘good’ and ‘weak’ performance –To form a basis for comparing the performance of providers / schemes on a like for like basis –To inform the strategy for Supporting People funding and reviews of the Homelessness Strategy North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PERFORMANCE MEASURES ADOPTED Success in meeting capital funding and environmental health requirements (where relevant) –Standard of accommodation assessed through survey Providers’ success in meeting SP funding requirements –maximising use of their accommodation (‘occupancy’) –demonstrating that accommodation is being provided on a temporary basis (‘length of stay’) –ensuring that people leaving temporary accommodation do so on the basis of a planned move minimising the risk of repeat homelessness (‘% leaving on basis of a planned move’) Four simple to apply value for money tests –SPG per unit, SPG + HB per unit, SPG per user, SPG + HB per user North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION METHODS OF MEASUREMENT % score against a minimum standard or benchmark set by SP team Ranking of scheme against other comparable schemes on % score Rank of ranks (a cumulative score) across –Management indicators –Financial indicators –Management plus financial indicators Traffic light system to highlight good and weak performers North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION 1. ANALYSIS BY CLIENT GROUP Big differences on some measures North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROPERTY SURVEY North Harbour Consulting 2012 Client Group Number of schemes in each traffic light category N = Vulnerable single homeless Homeless families Women escaping domestic violence People involved with the criminal justice system People who abuse drugs and alcohol TOTAL Percentage2%8%17%73%100%

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OCCUPANCY North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION THROUGHPUT North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION % PLANNED MOVES North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OVERVIEW OF MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE –26% either had green traffic lights for all the assessments, or a combination of green and light yellow (signifying minor issues only) –74% had a red or an amber traffic lights for a performance measure –28% had a red traffic light for one of their performance measures –2 schemes had two red traffic lights for management performance –one scheme had three red traffic lights for performance and has since been closed North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SPG / UNIT / WEEK North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SPG + HB / UNIT / WEEK North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SPG / USER / WEEK North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SPG + HB / USER / WEEK North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION TRAFFIC LIGHT ANALYSIS – OVER-VIEW North Harbour Consulting 2012 Contract bedspaces Property Survey Traffic Lights Occupancy 2 year Average Q Q (%) Throughput 2 year AverageQ Q (%) Planned Moves 2 year Average Q Q (%) 08/09 Weekly SP Unit Rate £ Average HB per unit contracted - weekly rate 2008/09 total weekly cost (SPG + HB) per unit Weekly cost per user - SPG Weekly cost per user HB (£) Weekly cost per user SPG + HB 12G £430.86£65.92£496.78£130.19£19.92£ G £281.25£47.12£328.37£29.27£4.90£ LY £560.87£42.82£603.69£128.65£9.82£ G £214.00£99.53£313.53£103.58£48.18£ G £264.40£64.39£328.79£53.82£13.11£ G £490.54£52.40£542.94£162.32£17.34£ G £502.16£53.77£555.93£59.58£6.38£ G £306.16£93.90£400.06£54.42£16.69£ LY £281.53£64.72£346.25£26.87£6.18£ LY £409.59£56.82£466.41£69.06£9.58£ LY £466.40£62.32£528.72£88.22£11.79£ R £82.79£62.32£145.11£34.74£26.15£ LY £344.60£65.19£409.79£63.63£12.04£ A £264.96£64.64£329.60£102.06£24.90£ LY £288.76£63.80£352.56£71.20£15.73£ G £313.39£87.16£400.55£104.22£28.99£ LY £320.44£51.19£371.63£88.01£14.06£102.07

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION RANKING ANALYSIS – OVER-VIEW North Harbour Consulting 2012 Cost per user rank of Ranks Calc Cost per user rank of Ranks RANK OF RANKS: Property, management & cost per user (Calc) RANK OF RANKS: Property, manage- ment & cost per user Overview Finance Calc Overview Finance RANK OF RANKS RANK OF RANKS - ALL INDICATORS calc RANK OF RANKS - ALL INDICATORS

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION ADDRESSING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION VARIABLES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES Methodology –Gives a good over-view of performance at a scheme level –Allows relevant comparisons between types of scheme and providers –But is essentially quantitative and misses quality Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) method available –But labour intensive Suggest QAF is used as a basis for –Peer group reviews by providers to raise standards and promote good practice –Targeting weaker performers for review by NIHE North Harbour Consulting 2012

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION INFORMING THE SP & HOMELESS STRATEGIES The research has raised important issues about: –the need for a whole systems approach that integrates socio- economic and spatial needs analysis with commissioning of new services and recommissioning of existing ones so that the clustering of schemes in particular localities – a feature of much provision outside Belfast – does not lead to significant gaps in provision –shortcomings in the systems, processes and procedures through which different types of homeless person have their needs assessed, and are then assigned to an accommodation- based scheme funded by SPG or one in the private sector where standards vary and support is often not available. North Harbour Consulting 2012

SUPPORTING PEOPLE-FUNDED TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR THE HOMELESS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Presentation to the Housing Studies Association Conference 19 April 2012 John Palmer BA CIH Member NORTH HARBOUR CONSULTING