We use cookies to provide vital functionality. For more information, please see our cookie policy.

Manage cookie preferences

Working together to end homelessness

Ending homelessness requires coordination between many different agencies, including charities and housing associations, community and faith groups, local authorities and other public services, as well as people with lived experience. Yet in many areas joint working remains under-developed, dysfunctional or absent. Too often this results in inefficient ways of working as efforts are duplicated or confused, while the needs of people who are homeless remain unmet.

Homeless Link is funded by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities to support partnership development across England and from London Councils for specific work in the capital. Some of the approaches that we use are shown below:

Our Partnerships Managers

Chrystalla: London

Catherine: East & East Midlands

Ellie: South East

Rose: South West

Steve: West Midlands & North West

Sirea: Yorkshire & Humber, North East, Lancashire & Cumbria

  • 40

    Chrystalla Karvella

    Partnership Manager (London)

  • Me Profile Pic (2) copy (1)

    Catherine Storey

    Partnership Manager (East & East Midlands)

  • Photo for website

    Ellie Mullin

    Partnership Manager (South East)

  • peter-brooks

    Rose Smith

    Partnership Manager (South West)

  • 49

    Steven Barkess

    Partnership Manager (West Midlands & North West)

  • 13

    Sirea Jabar

    Partnership Manager (Yorkshire & Humber, North East, Lancashire & Cumbria)

Types of support

So that people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness are better supported by more cohesive local and regional organisations and systems, our Partnership Managers can help with:

  • Forum development, charters, frameworks and pathways
  • Operational protocol development
  • Critical friend, local strategy development
  • Workshops, consultation and stakeholder events
  • Bespoke 1-2-1 support for specific, identified needs
  • Regional leadership events bringing senior leaders together to identify and address challenges
  • Facilitate coproduction with people with lived experience
  • Skill development and training e.g. systems leadership
  • Conflict resolution e.g. mediation and relationship repair between the LA, VCS and faith groups
  • Homeless Winter Transformation Fund - supporting organisations to develop applications reflecting best practice models complementing local strategic responses.

Examples of partnership building

These are some case studies of work that we have delivered to improve partnership working.

Hull City Council

Homeless Link to help explore opportunities for strengthening the relationship and understanding between non-commissioned organisations and Hull CC. Read the case study.

Stoke on Trent & Liverpool City Councils

Homeless Link facilitated stakeholder engagement in both these cities around bids to the Rough Sleeping Initiative

Basildon Homeless Forum

Homeless Link established a new forum bringing together all the local stakeholders

Reading BC

The Homeless Link Partnership Managers lead the stakeholder engagement for Reading to assess local provision of services.

Northampton

Homeless Link (HL) supported Northampton to mediate and build more positive relationships between the local authority, community groups and faith groups.

Redditch and Bromsgrove

Provided support and guidance in the establishment of high quality Housing First programmes

East Sussex Homelessness Forum

Invited by the local MP to strengthen collaboration between local organisations working on homelessness

Talk To Us - Nationwide

image0

Jeremy White

Head of National Partnerships

"The support I have received from Steve Barkess, Partnership Manager for Homeless Link has been invaluable. He has facilitated the setting up of a local Housing First Offer which supported entrenched rough sleepers "
Amanda Delahunty, Strategic Housing & Enabling Officer, Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils

Talk To Us - London Plus

4a

Chris Dutton

London Strategy Lead

London Strategic Lead for London Plus

The London Plus Project is a partnership between Homeless Link and Shelter, and is funded by London Councils as part of their Grants Programme 2022-26.

The aim and mission of London Plus originates from our specific grant funding of:

  • “Improving the response to homelessness in London (working with housing and homelessness organisations and professionals)”