So the new changes seem to be coming into effect in January. According to some chap at the DWP who I spoke to yesterday (hardly the best source of correct info I know) the 13 week waiting time and increase in the capital limit would only apply to new claimants from January onwards.
If this is [...]
Archive for November, 2008
Housing costs – what to advise
Posted in Random stuff on November 29, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Clan News
Posted in CLACs and CLANs on November 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Seems the LA’s and BC’s and CC’s involved have all agreed, in principle, to the LSC’s proposal for a CLAN in West Sussex.
In no particular order let the consultation, political games, media storm,tendering, bidding wars commence.
Bit slack
Posted in Random stuff on November 27, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Apologies for being slack and not posting much but House is trying to get to grips with being a team leader and managing the day to day running of a housing advice centre. All jolly interesting if not rather knackering.
New matters?
Posted in LSC on November 24, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Could someone be so kind as to answer some questions. This comes from the LSC’s website.
Up to £13 million will be available to fund extra cases
50,000 cases of debt help
20,000 cases of housing help
These increases will be made either by recycling funding or by making additional money available to providers in areas not currently [...]
No more 33 days?
Posted in Uncategorized on November 21, 2008 | 2 Comments »
A Local Authority Homelessness manager told me the other day that they had been instructed by some government official that LA’s should now ignore the 33 days working days to complete enquiries guideline as per 6.16of the CoG. The idea is that this should now enable LA’s to ‘prevent’ more homelessness by sticking people into AST’s [...]
An apology.
Posted in Gatekeeping on November 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
House apologises for posting his thought for the day. He hadn’t noticed that our noble government has pledged £200 million to end rough sleeping once and for all.
This will undoubtedly include measures to stop the widespread gatekeeping rife amoungst Local Authorities. Local Authorities will now carefully consider whether or not the street homeless people who [...]
Gatekeeping – Thought for the day
Posted in Gatekeeping on November 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It certainly makes House wonder when no homeless approach is taken from a person who has been homeless for 2 years sleeping in a car having approached a Local Authority 6+ times for help (a Local Authority who even write on their file that the person is homeless).
House even wonders if Local Authority housing officers (i was going to call them homelessness officers [...]
A change for the better?
Posted in Random stuff on November 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It is now a franchise requirement that all CABx introduce what is known as Gateway. What is Gateway? Well Gateway means that all clients who contact their CAB about a matter have a Gateway assessment. The Gateway assessment is meant to be a 10 mins tops assessment where the adviser decides whether or not the client [...]
And the prize for best short film goes to…
Posted in Gatekeeping on November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
MR FLACK
Outstanding. Had me laughing out loud.
It’s all so true!
Gatekeeping quote of the day
Posted in Uncategorized on November 12, 2008 | 4 Comments »
This is from the first point of contact at a Local Authority’s civic centre
‘They can’t be homeless if they’ve got a roof over their head, if they were street homeless they could see a housing options worker who might pass them to a homeless officer’.
I’ve never spoken to this person before but I was greeted with [...]
