Homelessness Strategy to go before Tynwald in December 2023

[english zloty]

 This is proper depressing. The “strategy” is to pay more than the going rate for an otherwise empty B&B room. Except busy times when the lesson learned is to pay in advance just in case.  The cost per person is madness. 

Being rebadged as new and exciting, this is what they were already doing anyway. Plus there was Graih, so actually nothing had changed but it’s costing more 😞

 

[Moghrey Mie]

I am pleased that we have got -

a definition of homelessness

a strategy for dealing with it

a report on progress.

That's miles better than the situation was a few years ago when nobody wanted to acknowledge the problem.

[english zloty]

There was a definition as far back as 2002.

The original strategy goes back to 1999 when Kymrrk and Graih were founded. 
 

The report has been regurgitated every administration since then 

the “strategy” appears to be put people in B&B, which has been an embarrassing solution for our counterparts who wish to remove themselves from the fact they used to do that pre-millennium 

[2112]

21 hours ago, english zloty said:

 This is proper depressing. The “strategy” is to pay more than the going rate for an otherwise empty B&B room. Except busy times when the lesson learned is to pay in advance just in case.  The cost per person is madness. 

Being rebadged as new and exciting, this is what they were already doing anyway. Plus there was Graih, so actually nothing had changed but it’s costing more 😞

 

Not forgetting that some of those in temporary accommodation due to having no fixed abode have many issues, and many many landlords including B&B and HMO establishments will not house them. As mentioned £6000 paid out in damages for repairs. You are right it’s depressing. Sadly some of those who are in need of help are the ones constantly mentioned on the news, mentioned in the local press, on bail, banned from alcohol etc. 

[Roger Mexico]

23 hours ago, thommo2010 said:

People seem to think solving homelessness is simply putting a roof over someone's head. Fact is a lot of the people who are classed as homeless will at some point have had a house or flat but due to a variety of reasons, addictions, mental health issues, anti social behaviour they get kicked out and can't then find anywhere else. I could tell numerous stories of people who have been given all the help going but don't take any personal responsibility to help themselves and the cycle continues.

Actually all the research shows that the best way to solve homelessness is "simply putting a roof over someone's head".  What you're describing is something else, people whose other problems have resulted in their becoming homeless.  Being homeless will make those problems worse, but those problems need to be tackled as well as the homelessness.

Edited August 31 by Roger Mexico
Typo

[Albert Tatlock]

35 minutes ago, 2112 said:

Not forgetting that some of those in temporary accommodation due to having no fixed abode have many issues, and many many landlords including B&B and HMO establishments will not house them. As mentioned £6000 paid out in damages for repairs. You are right it’s depressing. Sadly some of those who are in need of help are the ones constantly mentioned on the news, mentioned in the local press, on bail, banned from alcohol etc. 

Years ago, we used to just chuck most of them types into Ballamona.

[thommo2010]

32 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

Actually all the research shows that the best way to solve homelessness is "simply putting a roof over someone's head".  What you're describing is something else, people whose other problems have resulted in their becoming homeless.  Being homeless will make those problems worse, but those problems need to be tackled as well as the homelessness.

But people who were homeless did have a roof put over their head in way of social housing or even b and b and couldn't keep it together enough to keep the place. 

[WTF]

1 hour ago, thommo2010 said:

But people who were homeless did have a roof put over their head in way of social housing or even b and b and couldn't keep it together enough to keep the place. 

and that is where your involuntary organ donors could come from, a win win.

[Roger Mexico]

5 hours ago, thommo2010 said:

But people who were homeless did have a roof put over their head in way of social housing or even b and b and couldn't keep it together enough to keep the place. 

But my point is that that really isn't a homelessness problem but mental heath/drugs/alcohol/other addiction/whatever.  That needs treating at the same time. 

3 hours ago, WTF said:

and that is where your involuntary organ donors could come from, a win win.

Seriously you would not want these guys' internal organs.  Especially their livers.

[John Wright]

8 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

But my point is that that really isn't a homelessness problem but mental heath/drugs/alcohol/other addiction/whatever.  That needs treating at the same time. 

@thommo2010 

60 years ago they’d have been at Ballamona. 15 years before that they’d have been at the Mannin Infirmary ( a workhouse ). And before 1900 at the House of Industry ( another workhouse ), now the the Ellan Vannin Home.

It’s a problem when you introduce care in the community, it’s not at all about the human rights of the patients, it’s about saving money on the buildings, utilities, staff, food. It’s cheaper to give then benefits and muddle along on their own.

Care in the community is a great idea, and works, but only if you have proper care, well funded, and with sufficient qualified and experienced staff.

[Roger Mexico]

If you look at the:

HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES BOARD 6 Month Review on the Homelessness Strategy

it's a pretty pathetic effort even by the standards of this government. It's only three pages long, but still requires an 'Executive Summary' - presumably because those it's aimed at couldn't even get through three pages.  And while it claims "Please see appendix 1 for the most up to date Action Plan with progress updates included", there's no appendix supplied and the publicly available version doesn't seem to be updated.  So we're no wiser as to the data they have collected to guide the strategy.

In reality I suspect what they are busy doing is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist (street sleeping), while ignoring wider housing issues.  Even they say:

During certain times within this past 6 months during busy periods for local accommodation providers (including Christmas, the Manx Rally and TT periods) there were challenges obtaining accommodation for the individuals using the Emergency Overnight Accommodation service. Despite these challenges, there have been no reports of rough sleeping as a result of lack of accommodation.

[my bold].  So they have decided to pay to keep rooms empty, even though by their own admission they weren't needed.   They're also going to "recruit two Lead Professionals" and "four Community Workers" to deal with the situation.  And have lots of meetings.

[2112]

2 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

If you look at the:

HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES BOARD 6 Month Review on the Homelessness Strategy

it's a pretty pathetic effort even by the standards of this government. It's only three pages long, but still requires an 'Executive Summary' - presumably because those it's aimed at couldn't even get through three pages.  And while it claims "Please see appendix 1 for the most up to date Action Plan with progress updates included", there's no appendix supplied and the publicly available version doesn't seem to be updated.  So we're no wiser as to the data they have collected to guide the strategy.

In reality I suspect what they are busy doing is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist (street sleeping), while ignoring wider housing issues.  Even they say:

During certain times within this past 6 months during busy periods for local accommodation providers (including Christmas, the Manx Rally and TT periods) there were challenges obtaining accommodation for the individuals using the Emergency Overnight Accommodation service. Despite these challenges, there have been no reports of rough sleeping as a result of lack of accommodation.

[my bold].  So they have decided to pay to keep rooms empty, even though by their own admission they weren't needed.   They're also going to "recruit two Lead Professionals" and "four Community Workers" to deal with the situation.  And have lots of meetings.

Lots of bullshit for bullshit bingo, and lots of buzzwords. Lessons Learned? Is this the best that Professor Dr David Ashford MBE MHK could come up with? 

[Moghrey Mie]

'The Isle of Man recently introduced a definition of homeless in the Exceptional Needs Grants and Budgeting Loans (Amendment) Regulations 2022 and has the opportunity to develop this definition into legislation that provides statutory rights for all persons to be housed, in line with other Great Britain jurisdictions.'

Still no legal obligation to house people here on the island. In England local authorities must make provision.

[2112]

3 minutes ago, Moghrey Mie said:

'The Isle of Man recently introduced a definition of homeless in the Exceptional Needs Grants and Budgeting Loans (Amendment) Regulations 2022 and has the opportunity to develop this definition into legislation that provides statutory rights for all persons to be housed, in line with other Great Britain jurisdictions.'

Still no legal obligation to house people here on the island. In England local authorities must make provision.

There are other priorities. Priorities such as Assisted Dying etc. 

[Passing Time]

What’s happening with all the empty properties on Lord Street. 90 or so flats lying empty