Supporting homelessness day centres

Day centres can play a crucial role in tackling rough sleeping, preventing tenancy breakdown and promoting social networks.

Day centres often work with people who have the most difficult journey from the street to independent living, welcoming people who are not willing or able to engage with other services. They develop flexible, innovative ways of working, including outreach and specialist services, and work with a large proportion of service users with high support needs. Day centres also play a role in working with socially excluded groups whose tenancies are at risk of breaking down. 

The national context

There are over 200 day centres in England working with homeless people. Provision ranges from those offering basic facilities such as food, showers and laundry to ‘Places of Change’ where service users are supported to develop skills and confidence, engage in meaningful activities and move towards training, employment and independence.

Day centres do not directly provide housing but may be able to help people move into accommodation. Some restrict their services to people who are sleeping rough, while others offer activities and resources to the wider community. Most day centres share an ethos of being welcoming and accessible, often engaging with people who are excluded from mainstream services.

Homeless Link’s 2011 Survey of Needs and Provision (SNAP) showed that:

• 73% of the day centre workforce are volunteers
• On an average day, 10,000 people visit day centres
• Half of day centre clients have multiple needs

Read the SNAP 2011 findings for day centres here.

Support for day centres

Homeless Link is funded by the John Laing Charitable Trust and the Tudor Trust to support day centres in England.

The Day Centres Specialist provides support by:

• Identifying and sharing good practice with England’s 200+ day centres (view the map of visits)
• Running an online discussion group for day centre managers
• Organising regional events for day centres
• Providing direct support to at least 25 day centres in each year of the project (details here) 
• Producing guidance on the role of day centres in ending rough sleeping
• Raising the profile of day centres as places of empowerment and change
• Helping services to meet the LHF’s Day Centre Standards (see below)

For further information, to join the Linked In discussion group, or to discuss support for your day centre, please contact tasmin.maitland@homelesslink.org.uk or call 020 7840 4451. For regular project updates follow http://twitter.com/daycentretasmin 

Day Centre Standards

The London Housing Foundation has developed a set of standards for day centres. Achievement of this quality standard demonstrates that the service is accessible; focused on change; working in partnership with its service users and local stakeholders; and employing excellent people.

The Day Centre Standards are an effective and accessible tool for day centres to evaluate and develop their services. Further information can be found on the LHF website here.
 

Funding

Day centres face particular funding challenges, often being reliant on short term funding through donors, trusts and foundations.

Find out how to adopt a sustainable approach to funding, including financial planning, targeted fundraising and alternative funding sources on our funding for day centres page.

Support

Day centres are increasingly taking a more structured approach to support – the SNAP survey showed that 52% of day centres surveyed allocate a named key worker to service users, compared to 46% in 2009.

One-to-one structured support is important to ensure that homeless people can make changes in their lives. A key worker can build a supportive and trusting relationship, working with the service user to identify support needs, agree action plans and make positive changes.

Find out more about assessment, support planning and key work in the Day Centres handbook.

Outcomes

Measuring outcomes motivates clients and key workers by showing progress. It’s also a good way of demonstrating a day centre’s value to stakeholders such as funders and the local community.

Day centres are becoming more aware of the benefits of outcomes measurement – 76% of day centres surveyed by SNAP now measure outcomes, compared to just 59% in 2009.

For more information please view our outcomes resource for day centres and the outcomes web pages.

 
RESOURCES

To find day centres and other homelessness services in your area, search using the Homeless UK website. To add your day centre to Homeless UK please contact Homeless Link on 020 7840 4430.

Shelter’s online housing advice resource provides information based on a client's housing situation, for example ex-offenders or those in private rented accommodation.

Homeless Link produces guidance on a range of areas, including No Second Night Out and entitlements for EEA nationals. Please see our Effective Action page.