B10 – Homelessness suitability workshop

The long awaited Suitability order has finally come through, offering innumerable challenges and opportunities for councils across England.

• Is your homelessness unit geared-up to implement the new provisions?
•  Do you understand how they will change the way that homelessness units work in an operational way?
•  How will you draw on your local resources and services to better take advantage of the new provisions?

In this workshop we will examine:

• The Suitability order itself.
• What changes it will bring to frontline services
• What the CLG expects from councils.
• What resources you can draw on in your own locale to make it work.

We will examine how to develop a partnership approach with local landlords and external agencies to help fulfil the council’s duties to its homeless applicants

Delivery:

This workshop is a combination of a legal and procedural updates and a think-tank that will assist delegates to identify:

• What barriers stand in the way of taking advantage of the new order?
• How to build links with partner agencies.
• How to get PRS landlords to work with councils.
• What possible role can be played by credit unions or similar organisations?
• The possibilities of creating social lettings agencies.

Ben Reeve-Lewis will be your host for the day. He is currently driving the London Borough of Lewisham’s new team in creating public/private partnership approaches and is passionate about this new way of working and has been writing for the Guardian for some time on this issue.