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Our Action Groups and ongoing work
No Wrong Door Event

The No Wrong Door event in partnership with Shelter took place on Monday 23 September at City Labs, Nelson Street, Manchester.
Our thanks to Bruntwood for donating the event space to us as part of their corporate social responsibility, it was very much appreciated and the on-site events team were very supportive.
Over 55 people attended the event to discuss the “No Wrong Door” approach. Conversations were held and feedback was collected on what is working well, what do we need to do to work differently across the city and where are the gaps?. The feedback is being typed up and the No Wrong Door Action Group will be meeting to discuss next steps and actions. 
The ‘No Wrong Door’ Approach was co-produced by the Inspiring Change Programme, Shelter and outlined a set of principles that will improve outcomes for individuals with multiple and complex needs. You can read the evaluation report here and a summary document. If you are interested in joining the No Wrong Door Action Group, please send an email to info@mhp.org.uk.

Physical Health Action Group
It’s time to book your stallfor the Manchester Homelessness Partnership’s Homeless Health Event, which is being organised by the Physical Health Action Group to tie in with World Homelessness Day (10 October).
Date:  Wednesday 9 October
Time:  11am to 2pm  (set up your stall from 10am)
Venue:  Moss Side West Indian Sports and Social Club,  M14 4SW
The event will be open to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as well as professionals working within the sector.  There will be a free lunch, goody bags, and haircuts available. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your service and/or to promote services which can improve the health and wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness. To book your stall, please email b.simpson@caritassalford.org.uk

Activities and Wellbeing Action Group 

The Activities and Wellbeing Action Group met at the Lifeshare offices this month and we welcomed Cracking Good Food and Change Grow Live to the action group. 
Additional surveys with people experiencing homelessness have been completed, so the feedback report can be finalised. Partnership working has started following the feedback on activities people want to take place. 
One of the group members is in need of the following and if you are able to donate anything, please email info@mhp.org.uk and Val will be in touch. 
You may also be able to organise a collection in your workspace!
– Football boots (all sizes)
– Women’s tennis clothes or t-shirts and leggings (all sizes)
– Women’s trainers (all sizes)

Useful Information 

“Still a Mum” Peer Support Group
The Manchester Women’s Aid’s “Still A Mum” Peer Support Group offers a monthly meeting for mums who have experienced permanent child removal through local authority care proceedings. It’s a safe and confidential space where mums can receive and offer support alongside others who have faced similar challenges.

Vast inequalities faced by women in the North of England exposed in report
Women in the North of England live shorter lives, work more hours for less pay, are more likely to be an unpaid carer, and more likely to live in poverty than women in other regions of England, according to new research published on 2 September 2024. The research, published by Health Equity North, has laid bare the unequal challenges faced by women living in the North of England. It exposes the growing regional inequalities over the last decade and the impact this has on women’s quality of life, health, work, their families and communities.

The North West Poverty  Monitor
Resolve Poverty has launched the North West Poverty Monitor,a new resource which reveals the scale and nature of poverty across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.
The Poverty Monitor is a free, easy-to-navigate tool which provides data across six themes: poverty and deprivation, education, fuel and food insecurity, housing and homelessness, the labour market, and social security and debt.
It’s designed to equip you with the evidence you need to tackle socio-economic disadvantage in your own activities – from policy development, advocacy and campaigning through to writing funding applications and service design.
The data is presented through a combination of charts, maps and tables, including a number of interactive visualisations so that you can identify and compare specific data. Most figures are provided at a local authority level, and, where possible, at a more local level (e.g. electoral ward and lower super output area).

Health and Homelessness

Homelessness and Diabetes
People experiencing homelessness face a significant risk of severe health problems or death due to their circumstances. Explore new resources designed for inclusion health professionals, results of a collaborative project by Pathway and supported by the Burdett Trust.

Are you alcohol-dependent?
Manchester Metropolitan University want to hear from adults (18+) about their experiences of alcohol dependency, and how they can improve services in your area. They want to hear from people who are AND are not in contact with alcohol treatment services. Click here to read the flyer. 

NHS 111 offering crisis mental health support for the first time
Millions of patients experiencing a mental health crisis can now benefit from support through 111, the NHS has announced on27 August 2024. 
The change means the NHS in England is one of the first countries in the world to offer access to a 24/7 full package of mental health crisis support through one single phone line. People of all ages, including children, who are in crisis or concerned family and loved ones can now call 111, select the mental health option and speak to a trained mental health professional.

Accessing Primary Care podcast
Listen to the final episode from Groundswell of their Primary Share podcast series, where Mat Amp talks to Dr Caroline Shulman about his experiences accessing primary health care.

Keep yourself and others safe
The UK drug market has changed in recent years with the arrival of nitazenes and other synthetic drugs. Nitazenes are synthetic opioids that are often hundreds of times stronger than heroin and at least as potent as fentanyl.
If you plan on using heroin or other drugs, use this information to keep yourself and your friends as safe as possible:
– Go low and slow: start with a quarter hit of a new supply and wait to see the effects
– Don’t use alone: Make sure someone you trust is present and has a couple of naloxone kits to hand
– If using with others it’s best if only one person uses the drug first and uses a smaller dose, waiting for the peak effects to pass
– Don’t mix drugs: Using more than one drug increases your risk of overdose, this includes mixing with alcohol
– Look after your friends: Look out for the signs of an overdose, e.g. loss of consciousness, shallow or absent breathing, ‘snoring’ or loud ‘rasping’, and/or blue or grey lips or fingertips
– Call for an ambulance immediately if someone overdoses and give them naloxone.
– Ask for nitazene testing strips at your nearest Change Grow Live service
Find out more about keeping yourself and others safe from nitazenes here.

TB and Sepsis Resources
There are new, accessible resources from Groundswell for people experiencing homelessness and those who support them on TB and Sepsis.

Power Up the Flavour
Cracking Good Food have created two guides to help during the cost-of-living and fuel crisis. TheirLow Fuel Cooking and updated Power Up The Flavour booklets provide handy low fuel cooking and lifestyle tips, shopping lists and a weekly ‘Save fuel family meal plan’ to create nutritional meals whilst using minimal fuel. These guides will help you to batch cook to freeze and make good of leftovers for your next day’s lunches and dinners to leave you energised and healthy.

Blogs, Guidance, Journals, Research and Reports  Temporary Accommodation in England: Is it Value For Money? by Centre for Homelessness Impact This is a new report from their Value for Money programme. The research, conducted by Matthew Wilkins, Tim Gray, with help from Neil Reeder, Heather McCluskey, and Niamh Flannigan, started in 2023, finished only recently and is essential reading for anyone involved in homelessness. The team analysed published data on homelessness and temporary accommodation in England, conducted case study visits to local authorities, which featured interviews and focus groups with frontline staff; visits to temporary accommodation sites and discussion with people with lived experience of homelessness; and analysis of financial information. You can also watch a video of author Matthew Wilkins talking about the findings and recommendations.

Training and Resources Free homelessness video resources for schools and community groups Through September and October, as World Homeless Day approaches, Caritas Cornerstones are sharing more about some of the more surprising sides to the work they do in local communities. As part of this campaign, they have also created some short videos that can be used by schools, parishes and community groups who want to find out more about homelessness and ways they can support people locally.Manchester Safeguarding Partnership A one day conference on child criminal exploitation for VCSE professionals and other front line professionals working with children and young people is taking place on 17 October from 10am at the MAV UK Hall, 4 Jarvis Road, Hulme, M15 5FS. It is not a formal learning event and is not accredited, however the trainers are (SAFER NOW CYP). You are able to sign up to the conference here.