Past conferences

Please find below a summary of our past events

Vision to end rough sleeping: no second night out

12 October 2011 | London

In 21st century Britain no-one should be destitute on our streets. Over the past two decades successive government initiatives have helped our country make real progress in tackling the issues of one its most excluded groups – rough sleepers. Now is the time to make the final push and end rough sleeping for good.
 
This event shared expertise in what strategic approaches have worked so far and will explore the role that each Local Authority and each homelessness charity can play in ending rough sleeping locally. There were two equal strands to the day, running through the programme:

•  the measures that can be put in place to prevent rough sleeping
•  the work that can be done to support those who are rough sleeping away from the streets, stopping it becoming their home.

 For more information, please view the event programme.

Homeless Link Annual Conference 2011

12 - 13 July 2011 | The University of Warwick

Homelessness is a local issue. If we are to end homelessness and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, we need to gain the support of the local communities, politicians and services.

This practical, annual event helped delegates to understand the new ‘localism’ landscape, the threats and opportunities that exist and who they need to engage with to achieve change.  The conference explored how you can continue to end homelessness locally.

Prices started from just £120 per person.

For more information or to download the presentations please view the event programme.

Free Cold Weather Shelter events

20 June: Oxford     |     22 June: Chatham     |     23 June: Aylesbury     |     28 June: Brighton

29 June: Southampton     |     5 July: Stoke on Trent

Homeless Link hostedg a series of free, best practice seminars looking at the cold weather shelter provision in each region. The seminars will offer you the opportunity to share information, meet other practitioners and make recommendations for future activity in your area.

The seminars are appropriate for:

• Service Providers
• Local Authority lead officers responsible for planning cold weather provision

For more information on each of the seminars please click on the location closest to you.

spotlight: Health and Homelessness

15th March 2011 | BIRMINGHAM

This free half day regional event will give you the opportunity to share ideas and discuss policy and practice around health and homelessness.

Hear about the key changes to the health landscape and discuss what this means for people who are homeless. Learn about some of the approaches being taken to improve homeless people’s health, and discuss how you can get involved in the new changes to health commissioning and service development. This event will see the launch of the Homeless Health Needs Toolkit, a new resource to help local partners improve the health of their local homeless population.

Find out more with details of the event, please click here.

Surviving the cuts

8 February 2011 | LONDON

This conference explored the pressures that agencies are facing following the public sector spending cuts and shared resulting strategies to deal with them.  It

• shared practical ways to safeguard a service and deliver the required efficiencies
• explored new opportunities that these changes will create.

We need to harness our knowledge, passion and resilience, that we have shown so often in tackling homelessness to face the challenges ahead and improve the long-term prospects for our clients.

The event took place four months after the Comprehensive Spending Review, to allow time for the implications of the review to be discussed and understood. The Spending Review covers the next 5 years and includes deep cuts in many areas of public spending.  These changes are very likely to increase the flow into homelessness. It is imperative therefore that we adapt and plan for the future now so that we can manage these changes as they occur.

To view the conference programme and download the presentations from the day please click here

Staying In: Preventing evictions & abandonment

30 November 2010 | London

Unplanned moves from hostel accommodation and other supported housing projects result in people returning to street homelessness. Repeat homelessness for this very vulnerable client group could be prevented, resulting in better outcomes for homeless people and cost savings for the agencies that support them. Policymakers and commissioners will also benefit from better evidence about what works in sustaining tenancies for rough sleepers.

This conference:

• provided good practice information on what organisations can do to reduce preventable evictions and abandonment
• shared solutions applicable wherever your service operates
• shared approaches that are proven to achieve low levels of evictions and abadonments with all clients, including those with the most chaotic behaviour
• shared solutions applicable for all sized services
• demonstrated how to balance housing management with support to change behaviour
• showed how to break the cycle and prevent further exclusions

To view the conference programme and to download the presentations please click here.

Ending rough sleeping locally

19 October 2010 | London

Hosted by Communities and Local Government and Homeless Link, this free conference brought together the key senior-level stakeholders that can make change happen and end rough sleeping in all areas. The event explored the role that each authority can play in ending rough sleeping locally. It shared strategic approaches that have proven to be successful and considered possible partnerships that can help address this complex problem. Alongside this, the event showcased the role that the voluntary sector plays in reducing the numbers of individuals sleeping rough.

The event was opened by the Minister of State for Housing & Local Government, Grant Shapps MP, and included national officials from each of the areas represented in the new inter-ministerial working group on homelessness. The event provided an opportunity to combine key national guidance with good local practice enabling local communities to end rough sleeping.

More information is available here.

the future of supported housing

16 September 2010 | City Library | Newcastle

Homeless Link, Northern Rock, SITRA, VONNE and the National Housing Federation have come together to help the North East homeless sectors prepare for a changing future. If you provide supported housing or homelessness services, if you commission or fund services, then this event is for you. Join us in September to:

• Hear the government’s agenda for our sector, from the Housing Minister
• Meet and share key messages with your local politicians
• Discuss the current government Comprehensive Spending Review
• Debate the impact of changes to benefits, capital and revenue systems
• Hear results of regional research on cost-benefits of homeless services
• Learn from good practice in diversifying income and sustaining services.
• We want to make sure every service and authority is ready to meet the challenges ahead, so we can carry on changing the lives of homeless people.

To view details of the conference programme please click here.

Homeless Link Annual Conference 2010

6 – 7 July 2010 | University of Reading

This year our annual conference looked to inform how we can future proof the homelessness sector so that we can continue to work towards our goal of ending homelessness.

If we are to ensure that vulnerable and socially excluded individuals continue to receive the care and support they need, we need to secure the future of our services, by ensuring we offer good quality, cost efficient provision.

For more information on the programme or to download presentations from the event, please click here.

Healthy Minds: the key to realising potential

20 May 2010 | London

This conference aimed to demystify the mental health care system to improve the mental health of clients accessing homelessness services, and prevent other clients’ mental health worsening. It informed workers based in the homelessness sector how they can more easily support clients with poor mental health or places that they can turn to for support. 

For more information on the programme or to download the presentations, please click here.

Homeless Link Reception

2 February 2010 | Westminster | London

At our reception we launched a manifesto for the next government on ending homelessness in our country once and for all.   Written with input from agencies working on the frontline and people with experience of homelessness, the manifesto sets out 10 practical steps to achieve this challenging ambition in the next 10 years.  Ian Austin MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, Caroline Spelman MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Julia Goldsworthy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities all spoke at the event with great commitment.

To view the press and parliamentary coverage of the reception, please click here.

The manifesto can be downloaded here.

CHANGING SERVICES: CHANGING LIVES

14 January 2010 | Birmingham

Are you ready to change your service? This conference explored all of the changes that can be made within a service to more effectively support a homeless person. It is not necessarily about completely revolutionising your service, as even a small change can make a big difference.

See full programme details, and download presentations from the workshops.

Talking street: outreach good practice event

8 December 2009 | London | In partnership with the CLG

A year on from the launch of the Government’s strategy, No One Left Out: Communities Ending Rough Sleeping, Homeless Link and Communities and Local Government are holding a free event that will focus on the role of street outreach teams in ending rough sleeping.

See full programme details.

Are you tuned in? Getting clients' voices heard

20 October 2009 | London | In partnership with St Mungo's

This one-day conference shared practical approaches to client involvement. It showcased effective client involvement practices from across the country and provided practical examples of how an organisation could improve participation. There are many factors that can inhibit placing clients at the heart of service development and delivery. This conference was also an opportunity to explore these challenges and concerns and to offer possible solutions.

For more information on the programme or to download the presentations, please click here.

CONFERENCE QUERIES

If you have a query regarding any of our conferences, please get in touch.

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