How to influence locally

One of the Government’s key pledges is decentralisation and the move towards more localism. As a sector we need to build up our links and influencing with leading local government officials and to highlight the value for money of the sector in order to do as much as we can to safeguard it.

This section provides tools that will help you to:

• increase appreciation and gain political support from local government for the homelessness sector and your services
• create an evidence base on the value provided by your services and the wider sector for funders and commissioners through outcomes monitoring and statistics

Resources in this section

Local influencing

• Local influencing toolkit - information on how to build relationships with your local authority, local councillors and the press
• Quick guide to local government (LGA)
• Using Freedom of Information Act in campaigning

Outcomes

• Outcomes Star - a comprehensive tool for measuring the outcomes of work with homeless people
• Charities Evaluation Service - help you strengthen the quality of your work and achieve better outcomes

Facts and Figures

• Data on homeless people summarised on Homeless Link website including our tables of homelessness statistics for your area with figures on numbers of homeless people, move on from Supporting People funded services, and numbers of hostels and day centres
• Local data on clients and outcomes of Supporting People-funded homelessness services
• CHAIN data on numbers and characteristics of people sleeping rough in London

Research

• Research and publications with statistics on homelessness on Homeless Pages
• Information on provision of local homelessness services in Homeless Link's Survey of Needs and Provision
• Recent data on the costs of homelessness and benefits of homelessness services on Homeless Link website