100 homeless charities call on Brown to end 'deep social exclusion' » Housing » 24dash.com

More than 100 homeless charities have today written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling on Labour to renew its efforts to end the 'deep social exclusion' of many homeless people.

Acknowledging the progress made by the Government in reducing rough sleeping and other forms of exclusion, the groups point out that those left behind when targets were met are the most difficult to reach – people with multiple needs including addictions, mental health issues, challenging behaviour or a history of involvement in the criminal justice system.

“What is needed now is a fresh vision,” according to Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link and author of the widely-endorsed letter, which was published in The Times this morning.

“All too often the most chronically excluded people do not receive the public services they need and are left ricocheting around the system.”

The groups are calling for a renewed commitment to address social exclusion with measures in the next spending review explicitly to target assistance to homeless people with multiple needs.

Jenny Edwards said: “We believe that, with renewed leadership, it is possible to change fundamentally the lives of tens of thousands of homeless people who are waiting for a chance to fulfil their potential.”

The letter reads:

Dear Prime Minister

Pathways out of deep exclusion for homeless people

The Labour Government has led the world in reducing rough sleeping and providing support for homeless people. Your capital investment in hostels is turning them into places of change. The Supporting People programme is turning around lives that others had written off and building independence.  This has all been achieved by the Government working in close partnership with third sector agencies.

We ask you to renew the drive to tackle the deep exclusion faced by many homeless people. Sixty percent of the people using our frontline services are not only homeless but have multiple needs, including addictions, mental health issues, challenging behaviour or a history of contact with the criminal justice system. All too often they have not received the public services they need and have ricocheted round the system. This can change.

What is needed now is fresh vision. We believe that it is possible for this country to show the world just what can be achieved in tackling the deep exclusion of homeless people. But we need Government explicitly to put this group into its priorities and those expected of local government.

The truly significant step forward would be a Government PSA target on multiple needs that recognises the deep exclusion of homeless people.  This would be a strong lever to ensure services will deliver the integrated package of support that will move people out of deep exclusion forever.

Ten years ago the Labour Government dedicated itself to tackling rough sleeping as the most extreme manifestation of social exclusion. We believe that, with renewed leadership, it is possible to change fundamentally the lives of tens of thousands of homeless people who are waiting for a chance to fulfil their potential.

Yours sincerely,

Jenny Edwards
Chief Executive
Homeless Link

and the chief executives of the following organisations: 
1. ABCtales Foundation
2. Agorfa
3. Anchor House
4. Bath Churches Housing Association
5. BCHT Group
6. Booth Centre
7. Bournemouth Churches Housing Association
8. Bradord City Centre Project
9. Brent Health and Homeless Team
10. Brighter Futures
11. Brighton Housing Trust
12. Broadway
13. Action on Homelessness and Employability
14. Cambridge Cyrenians
15. CAN
16. Caradon Housing Youth Project
17. Cardboard Citizens
18. Cardinal Hume Centre
19. Ceredigion Care Society
20. Charnwood Independent Youth Action
21. Cricklewood Homeless Concern
22. Church Army
23. Coastline Housing Ltd
24. Community Housing and Therapy
25. Coventry Cyrenians
26. CRASH
27. Crawley Open House
28. Crewe YMCA
29. Crisis
30. Croydon Association for Young Single Homeless
31. Connection at St. Martins-Adelaide Street
32. Cyrenians Cymru
33. DENS ltd
34. Depaul Trust
35. Deptford Churches Centre
36. Dogs Trust Hope Project
37. Durham Action on Single Housing
38. East Kent Cyrenians
39. East Potential
40. Emmaus
41. Ferry Project
42. Foundation Housing
43. Four Square (Scotland)
44. Foyer Federation
45. Framework
46. Friends First
47. Gear Project
48. Groundswell
49. H2O Project
50. HACT
51. HEALTH E1 Homeless Medical Centre
52. Herts Young Homeless Group
53. HOPE worldwide
54. Hostels Liaison Group
55. Housing Justice
56. Housing for Women
57. Ipswich Housing Action Group
58. Keyhouse
59. Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness
60. LAMP
61. Lancaster & District Homeless Action Service Ltd
62. Look Ahead Housing and Care Ltd
63. M25 Housing and Support Group
64. Macclesfield Accommodation
65. NOAH Enterprise
66. Nomad Homeless Advice and Support Unit
67. Northampton Hope Centre
68. NOVAS group
69. Nuneaton & Bedworth Doorway
70. OSW
71. P3
72. Pan London Providers
73. Peasholme Charity
74. People Off The Streets
75. Peter Bedford Housing Association
76. Priority Youth Housing
77. Providence Row Charity
78. REAP Resettlement Agency
79. Revolving Doors Agency
80. Rochdale Petrus community
81. Second Step
82. Self Help Community Housing Association
83. Shekinah Mission
84. Signposts
85. Single Homelessness Project
86. Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation
87. SITRA
88. Solas
89. South Birmingham Young Homeless Project
90. Space East
91. SPEAR
92. Spires
93. St Anne's Community Service
94. St Basil's
95. St Christopher's Fellowship
96. St Edmonds Society
97. St John's Housing
98. St Martins Housing Trust
99. St Mary's Rainbow Centre
100. St Mungo's Association
101. Streetwise Opera
102. Thames Reach
103. The Basement Night Drop In
104. The Bridge
105. The Salvation Army
106. The Scrine Foundation
107. Trinity Homeless Projects
108. Two Saints Housing Association
109. Tyneside Cyrenians
110. Whitechapel Centre
111. West London Mission
112. Women's Housing Action
113. York Arc Light

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