New GLC prevention of homelessness report published online

GLC's Prevention of Homelessness Project (POHP) has prevented 1,200 people in the Southside of Glasgow becoming homeless in the last two years. Govan Law Centre has run the Prevention of Homelessness Project in the city's South West based upon the belief that early intervention and holistic multidisciplinary services, tailored to each individual, can help prevent unnecessary evictions.

In our new POHP progress report for the Oak Foundation - which is published online here: 'Download GLC POHP report as PDF' - we explain how our new project has prevented 1,200 people from becoming homeless, saving about £25.5million in public money from December 2010 to December 2012. We believe if the approach of our scheme was extended nationwide it could potentially save the Scottish Government as much as £320m.

Mike Dailly, GLC's principal solicitor, said: "With our project, we show that early intervention works, but also that it has to be co-ordinated. Often people who are in these difficult situations will not go for help early on. We provide not just very fast specialist legal and money advice services, but we can also connect the person with any other services he or she may need."

The project employs a partnership between the centre, Govan Money Matters Advice Centre and Glasgow City Council's Southside Social Work Department, as well as different voluntary organisations, such as the Scottish Association For Mental Health.

It is designed to highlight that eviction and repossession are usually the tip of a whole range of social and associated problems for those who are vulnerable to the risk of homelessness.

The project recognises there are important indicators that could result in problems leading to eviction and homelessness. These could include those in rent arrears or living in poverty, or those with social worries, such as health or mental health problems.

People who look vulnerable are flagged up by the partnership to the Law Centre early on, which can then intervene or refer them to the appropriate support.

Alistair Sharp, GLC's senior project coordinator, said: "We are looking at savings to the public purse and preventing people facing the trauma of eviction and homelessness. Court action can be avoided by early intervention."

Free places for local people to attend Prevention of Homelessness report launch

Two years ago Govan law Centre was awarded three years funding by the Oak Foundation to develop our 'Your Home Your Rights’ Prevention of Homelessness project.  We have produced a bi-annual progress report describing how we have expanded our homelessness prevention work, and stopped people and their families from losing their homes through eviction or repossession. 

Over 1,200 people have received GLC's free, independent and confidential prevention of homelessness services during the last two years in Glasgow, and our report describes –

* how we have achieved this;

* how we have developed our innovative service to be more effective;

* improvements to our early intervention work;

* access to our money and benefits advice services and other support; and

* how we have provided the much needed expert legal advice and representation when people come to us in crisis with their housing problems.

 

We are holding an event to launch our report on 29^th January 2013, 10:30 (with lunch at 12:00) at The Victory Centre, 285 Langlands Road, Govan, Glasgow, G51 4AS.

There are 10 free places available for anyone living or working in the Greater Govan or Pollok areas. 

 

If you would like to book a free place then please phone Anne-Marie O’Brien at Govan Law Centre on 0141 440 2503. Please apply early as places are limited.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Major new early intervention service to prevent homelessness in Glasgow's Southside

Govan Law Centre has secured almost £336,000 funding from the Oak Foundation to develop an innovative early intervention service to prevent the most vulnerable and hard to reach citizens in Glasgow's Southside from becoming homeless.

The new project will provide an early intervention and crisis response that fits around the individual service user along with an intensive one to one support service to deal with the underlying causes of homelessness. Headed up by GLC's Alistair Sharp, the project will utilise new technology and innovative approaches to preventing homelessness and will focus on sustainability and long term solutions. 

The project will have a major social policy and law reform remit, with an ambitious strategy to secure transformational change to benefit those threatened with homelessess across Scotland.  

GLC's Mike Dailly said: "The Govan Law Centre Board of Trustees are indebted to the Oak Foundation for backing our innovative new project.  We hope to develop a radical new approach to preventing homelessness on a long term and sustainable basis, working closely with our local partners, Money Matters Money Advice Centre and the South West Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership, and other agencies".

GLC's Prevention of Homelessness Co-ordinator, Alistair Sharp said: "Our project will provide new hope to vulnerable people at risk of homelessness in the Southside of Glasgow. With the new resources available to us we will be able to intervene to prevent homelessness at a much earlier stage, and avoid the human misery of homelessness".