You can read the full version of the e-bulletin here.

This Christmas, meet Arun From life on the streets to finding stability, Arun’s journey is a powerful story of courage, resilience, and the life-changing impact of support. At Engage Grow Go (EGG), they are committed to helping people like Arun turn their lives around – providing not just shelter, but hope and a future. Watch his inspiring story and join EGG in spreading hope this Christmas.

Christmas for children and families living in temporary accommodation Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for children and families living in temporary accommodation. The instability of their living situation often exacerbates feelings of isolation, stress, and financial hardship.  Many are living in dangerous conditions with little support to help them navigate through our complex systems. Families are continuously placed out of area, far away from their school, GP and community. The educational attainment of homeless children plummets when they become homeless. The barriers to healthcare increase and children’s health and development suffer. There is a national focus and political will for rough sleeping, but less so for families. And tragically, 55 children have died in Temporary Accommodation across the UK, most were under 1 years.  Shared Health Foundation are the experts in family homelessness and work tirelessly to shine a light on the inequalities these children face. However, it is not enough just to talk about the effects of Temporary Accommodation on children, so they are calling for government action immediately. The first 1,001 days of a child’s life are integral to their development, and yet the government doesn’t have a strategy to protect these years and mitigate the effects of trauma for homeless children. They are asking for a proper strategy, resources and a minimum standard for temporary accommodation to ensure that all children have the good start they desperately need. Sign the petition here. Watch their video here.  New research from Shelter shows at least 354,000 people in England, including 161,500 children, will spend Christmas without a home – an increase of 14 per cent, 44,500 people, in one year. Volunteering and why your support is needed International Volunteer Day took place on Thursday 5 December 2024. It was established by the United Nations in 1985, and recognised the incredible contributions of volunteers worldwide and their impact on creating a better future. Closer to home, recent findings from the Community Life Survey 2023/24 show that 16 per cent of adults in England engage in formal volunteering monthly, a figure that has remained steady since 2021/22. These insights highlight the ongoing importance of volunteer efforts in our communities, especially for voluntary and community organisations supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness. If you are interested in volunteering, please take a look at this list of organisations and visit their websites. You can also visit the Volunteer Centre Manchester to understand how you can give back this Christmas and throughout 2025.

Our Action Groups and ongoing work
Mental Health Action Group
We are looking at restarting the Mental Health Action Group and we are looking for people with lived experience of homelessness who may be interested in joining the group and being a co-chair. 
If you work in Manchester and have an interest in homelessness and mental health, you can also join this action group. 
If you are interested in joining this action group, please email info@mhp.org.uk.

Real Change MCR
Thank you to the Buccaneer Group for their donation of outdoor clothing, including coats, jackets, hoodies, and gilets, to support the homeless community in Manchester. 10 boxes were collected and distributed amongst Reach out to the Community, Barnabus, Booth Centre, Caritas Cornerstone, Greater Together Manchester and Mustard Tree. 

A focus on Street Paws

Street Paws aims to empower homeless people to keep their pet by their side. We are a nation of pet lovers, we all understand the positive impact having a pet can bring; both emotional and physical. Over 20 per cent of homeless people have a pet, this animal is often their only companion, support and family in a world of chaos and instability. 
With only 10 per cent of hostels accepting pets, Street Paws have seen many people have to choose between abandoning their pet and finding housing. Street Paws don’t think that’s fair, it perpetuates homelessness and makes unhoused pet owners feel even more isolated.
Street Paws have partner with temporary housing providers to become pet friendly. Their Dog Champion Scheme provides training, support, and veterinary care to ensure that unhoused individuals can be welcomed with their dogs, preserving the precious bond they share and improving the community and wellbeing of all residents through the power of pet therapy. For further information, you can email info@streetpaws.org.uk 

Health and Homelessness
Homeless Health Peer Advocacy – Shelter
Shelter operate a Homeless Health Peer Advocacy service for Greater Manchester. Volunteer Peer Advocates with experience of homelessness work to improve the confidence of people facing homelessness in using health services and increase their ability to access healthcare independently. To refer to the service in Greater Manchester, email #HealthNow@shelter.org.uk or contact the Local Coordinator Ped by email on peter_durling@shelter.org.uk. 

Winter Health Guide – Groundswell
As it gets colder, here is the Winter Health Guide – Top Tips for looking after your health in winter from Groundswell.

Addressing the health inequalities for people experiencing homelessness and disability
In this blog recognising the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), Debra Hertzberg, Homeless Link discusses the importance of understanding and addressing the health inequalities experienced by people facing homelessness, illness and disability. People with disabilities are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness, with 63 per cent of people responding to a Homeless Health Needs Audit (HHNA) telling Homeless Link that they had a longstanding illness or disability in their latest Unhealthy State of Homelessness report. This compares to 22 per cent of the wider population at that time.

Breaking the cycle of homelessness and poor mental health
Earlier this year, Centre for Mental Health and Homeless Link co-hosted a roundtable that brought together key stakeholders from across sectors to explore the barriers faced by people experiencing both poor mental health and homelessness, and potential opportunities to create change.

How well do you know your rights?
We all have the right to good health. But knowing exactly what our rights are and how to get them can be challenging. Groundswell have created three training resources to help you understand your rights and give you the confidence to speak up about them.

Migration and Homelessness 
Destitution and Homelessness – Boaz Trust
Destitution and homelessness are rising at an alarming rate among people in the asylum and immigration systems. 2023-2024 was the first year on record that NACCOM has accommodated over 4,000 people in one year – a concerning milestone. As a member of NACCOM, at the Boaz Trust, they have seen a similar increase in demand for their services. Their latest Supporter Review documented how referrals in 2023-24 for people with refugee status were more than double the amount received in 2022-23. Drastic change is needed. You can read the new data briefing from NACCOM with its findings and recommendations for policy reform here.

Let love speak louder than hostility from the Boaz Trust
When he arrived in the UK, Viktar was forced to sleep on the streets. The idea that someone would choose to help him seemed impossible. But because of your support, he was able to access accommodation through the Boaz Trust and begin to rebuild his life.
Now Viktar’s got his refugee status and is working as a bespoke furniture maker. He uses his free time to help people seeking asylum navigate the complex system and understand their rights. Viktar also advocates for reform of the UK’s hostile asylum system and is particularly involved in the ‘Lift the Ban’ campaign to see people seeking asylum given the right to work. Read all about the Christmas campaign from the Boaz Trust here.

Greater Manchester Migrant Destitution Fund
The GM Migrant Destitution Fund provides cash grants for people forced into destitution by their immigration status. Earlier this year, a survey was completed for fund recipients. The results confirmed the crucial importance of the grants given out in meeting essential needs and supporting people’s wellbeing – offering a degree of dignity and choice, reflected in the contrasting responses to how destitution leaves people feeling, and the effect of being able to access the migrant destitution fund. 
The fund is looking for volunteer fundraisers.

Blogs, Guides, Policies and Reports
Report – Literacy, Numeracy, and Homelessness: What Do We Know?
The Centre for Homelessness Impact has published a study that analyses the evidence base of what works to support adults with low literacy or numeracy who are affected by homelessness. It also discusses how experiencing homelessness can create further barriers to improving literacy and numeracy skills later in life. While the evidence base is limited on the effectiveness of interventions to improve the literacy and numeracy of people experiencing homelessness, they can say with confidence that a high-quality literacy or numeracy intervention should:
– account for adverse past experiences and shame;
– account for learning disabilities and neurodiversity;
– account for heterogeneity in life stage and gender;
– be grounded in what has been shown to work in literacy education; and
– be grounded in what is relevant for learners.
Reads the full report here.

Blog: Out in the cold: counting the number of people sleeping rough by Greg Hurst, Director of Communications and Public Engagement at the Centre for Homelessness Impact.

Guide: Centrepoint Employer Best Practice Guide
This guide from Centrepoint outlines key changes that employers can make to improve recruitment and employment practices and support homeless young people to access work. Centrepoint recognises that recruitment and employment practices vary across different industries, depending on the needs of employers and sector norms. The changes outlined in this guide can act as important starting points upon which employers can tailor their recruitment and employment practices to suit the needs of young people who have experienced homelessness. 

Analysis: New analysis commissioned by Pathway from Alma Economics shows the positive return on investment of a nationwide initiative to end the shame of discharges from hospital into homelessness. All anyone wants after a spell in hospital is somewhere safe and warm to recover. However, the combination of unprecedented levels of pressure on our health services and the housing crisis means that people facing homelessness are being discharged to the street whilst still recovering from treatment. This has devastating consequences for people’s health and results in repeat readmissions to hospital.

Video: Tune in to Parliament TV to watch and listen to discussions on how public funds are being used to tackle the levels of homelessness and to explore the role of evidence-based solutions in addressing homelessness. This Public Accounts Committee took place on Monday 2 December 2024.

Policy Brief: Social Homes for Manchester Policy Brief 1 – Why we need sustainable homes for social rent: An agenda for change Read this policy brief from the Manchester Social Housing Commissionhere.

Report: 2024 Frontline Worker Survey Findings
Every year, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity asks frontline staff across the UK about what they are seeing on the ground in the housing and homelessness sector. This year’s report, comes as homelessness in the UK is at an all-time high. Official statistics released in August 2024 show that 86,520 households in England qualified for homelessness support from their councils between January and March. In Autumn 2023, 3,898 people were estimated to be sleeping rough.
Their survey revealed that frontline staff feel that their ability to prevent homelessness has decreased (47 per cent) due to a lack of housing for those in need and an increased demand. Nearly half (49 per cent) of staff themselves worry about paying bills, and two-fifths (41 per cent) about housing. This has a knock-on effect on their wellbeing, with 80 per cent of staff reporting that they feel at risk of burnout and 64 per cent report their role has a negative impact on their wellbeing. Read their key findings report here. You can also visit the Frontline Network website for further information on training and resources.

Framework: Rough Sleeping Framework – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
On the 28 November, the latest quarterly publication of the Rough Sleeping Data Framework for September 2024 was published. This information is used to understand how far rough sleeping is prevented wherever possible, and where it does occur, if it is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The framework was developed with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and 5 pilot areas (London, Greater Manchester, Newcastle, West Midlands and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole) and this publication is the first to include all 8 indicators of the framework. You can view the release, data tables and dashboard here.

Report: Evaluation of the Housing First Pilots –  Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
This is the final report (October 2024) of the evaluation of the Housing First pilots. The evaluation of the Housing First Pilots has been building the evidence base for what works in delivering positive outcomes for people with experience of homelessness and with multiple and complex needs. A total of 1,061 individuals who were homeless and had experience of multiple and complex needs were provided with independent settled tenancies throughout the duration of the programme. The evidence indicated positive outcomes in relation to feelings of safety, social connectivity, and reduced levels of engagement with the criminal justice system and/or involvement in antisocial behaviour. Thank you to Expert Link for sharing this information. 

Report: Older Peoples Housing Preferences 
Produced by Housing LIN in partnership with Ipsos UK and funded by UK Research and Innovation, this report is based on a representative survey of over 5,500 UK adults aged 50 and over, and sheds light on:
– the housing preferences of older adults;
– their likelihood of moving in later life;
– and the integral role housing plays in supporting the health and well-being of an ageing population.
With one-quarter of the UK’s population projected to be aged 65 or older by 2043, the findings highlight the urgent need for innovative housing policies and solutions to meet the demands of a rapidly ageing society. Read the full report here.

Niall’s Corner
This month’s article from Niall features Reach out to the Community and their work supporting people in south Manchester.  Niall has compiled a comprehensive list of 279 food-banks and pantries across Greater Manchester – an increase of 57 since October 2021. He conducts a thorough check every four months, reaching out via email or phone calls to gather updates. Here is the link that holds nearly every food-bank and pantry in Greater Manchester. Niall is actively searching for any not yet listed, so please feel free to share, and if you have updates or amendments, please contact him directly on nialllove@talktalk.net.

E-bulletins and News

Manchester City Council – Works and Skills e-bulletin – 2 December 9 December 
16 December
Manchester Active Voice – Issue 101
Shelter – Round up of housing law and news: November 2024
Macc P&I Shorts – December 2024
Manchester Community Central E-bulletin – 16 December 2024
Manchester Community Central – Training News – 17 December 2024
Resolve Poverty – GM Bulletin Issue 5

Manchester, Greater Manchester and national 
14 November 2024 – UK charity declares ‘refugee homelessness emergency’ as numbers hit record high – The Guardian
24 November 2024 – Homeless people to be given cash in first major UK trial to reduce poverty – The Guardian
Homelessness can happen to anyone, even a professional footballer – Forever Blues Podcast – Engage Grow Go (EGG) 
1 December 2024 – ‘We live on Pot Noodles’: rickets hits homeless families with no kitchen – The Guardian
3 December 2024 – BBC Today Programme – Jo Walby, Mustard Tree speaking about migration and homelessness – From 3.02.59 (The recording is available for 28 days).
Read further information here.
4 December 2024 – Personal growth through growing potatoes – Barnabus
5 December – BBC News – Home Office to give refugees more time to find housing 
6 December 2024 – ITV News – Man who spent last Christmas sleeping rough on Manchester streets has life saved by charity – Engage Grow Go (EGG)
10 December 2024 – Our homelessness teams: supporting people at Christmas – Caritas
10 December 2024 – ‘Christmas in style’ after homeless charity saved – Lifeshare and Manchester Evening News
10 December 2024 – Meet the Mancunian – Judith Vickers, Lifeshare – Season 9, Episode 8