October has been a busy month for Launchpad.
We marked World Homeless Day with a stand in Broad Street alongside other like-minded organisations, to raise our profile, remind people that we are here to help and to let people know about our work in the town.
And our Impact Report, showing the breadth of our work during the last financial year and how your support is helping us make a difference, was published. (https://launchpadreading.org.uk/about-us/)
Analysis of our work shows that demand for our services has increased by 22% year on year, and that a third more people are using our drop-in service
Increase in demand
Sadly, the demand for our services is increasing in line with national trends – more people being evicted under section 21 and breakdown in family relationships another major factor.
And earlier this month, over the course of one week, we had five people come to drop-in seeking accommodation after being told to leave their ‘Approved Premises’ and given just seven days to find alternative accommodation.
Approved Premises (AP) is accommodation approved under Section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007. They provide intensive supervision for those who present a high or very high risk of serious harm. They are mostly used for people on licence, but they also accommodate small numbers of people on bail or community sentences.
Since the Government’s early release programme (to combat the prison over-crowding issue), people who had been in AP were told to leave to make way for the early releasers. This puts even more pressure on charities, housing associations and local councils to find suitable accommodation.
Move on
One of the biggest challenges we continue to face has been enabling people in our supported housing to move on, and this is mainly down to a lack of affordable rental properties available in Reading.
In the past year, we have taken our own steps to address the lack of affordable accommodation by purchasing two properties in Reading which are now home to 11 people.
This is known as ‘move-on’ accommodation and is specifically for people who are ready to leave our supported housing service and live more independently.
Our supported housing is the first port of call for people who need more than just a roof over their head.
Supported housing officers work closely with our clients to make sure they are claiming the right benefits, have access to a GP, are seeking counselling support for their mental health issues or addictions, be it alcohol or drugs and are generally functioning well.
Janine Breakspear, Head of Services at Launchpad said: “Our Impact Report shows our work up until the end of the financial year, March 2024, but it is clear that in the last six months the figures will be on a similar track as we continue to support high numbers of people in Reading.”
Ref: https://prisonguide.co.uk/new-early-release-scheme-for-prisoners/