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Billy Dove explains how the City of London Corporation has used personalised budgets to tackle the issue of rough sleepers within the square mile Rough sleepers in the City of London mainly stay out of sight – hidden behind doorways, deep under the ground in car parks, and tucked underneath bridges. But they are clearly visible to the Broadway outreach team members who work every day to try and get their trust, bring them into accommodation, and help them begin to rebuild their lives. Some of these rough sleepers are there for just a few nights before they are accommodated or find their own ways off the streets, but others will have been sleeping on the streets for many years. These long-term rough sleepers have, in the past, proved very difficult to get into accommodation. They have often created lives for themselves on the streets which they are comfortable with, and can struggle with the idea of moving away from this, despite the fact that living on the streets is both tough and dangerous. In order to try and reach out to these long-term rough sleepers, for the last 10 months, the City of London Corporation, with the charity Broadway and the support of the CLG, have been trialling a more individualised approach to their care in the form of personal budgets for identified, long-term rough sleepers. The aim behind this scheme is to give control back to the rough sleeper over the options available to them, rather than simply presenting them with a solution such as accommodation in a hostel. The client meets regularly with the project co-ordinator or a broker of their choice, and together they work out what the client feels they need to get off the streets. The client is then helped to draw up an action plan which may include a shopping list of items that wouldn't ordinarily be bought from benefits or social funds, but which the rough sleeper feels would make the transition from street to home easier. Money to support the pilot comes from the Communities and Local Government Agency. One client, PP, says he appreciates being treated as an individual. He has spent the money on buying a decent chair and books, because he does a lot of reading. And this has encouraged him to move inside. Other clients have suggested a phone, to make contact with family or support providers; the means to enable him or her to travel for appointments; a deposit to help secure accommodation; obtain furniture; or a training course. Talking about the project, Howard Sinclair, chief executive of Broadway, says: ‘Giving control back to the rough sleeper is a theme which runs through the project – the rough sleeper is encouraged to take control of their lives by deciding what exactly it is they need to get off the streets.' This approach means that any potential crises which occur around the fragile move from the streets can be tackled immediately, and incentives can be given to move off the streets, such as paying for heating or a television in the new home. The results so far have been hugely encouraging, and could greatly influence the way local authorities work with rough sleepers nationally. Davina Lilley, street population manager at the City of London Corporation, says: ‘Although it's very early days, we're very encouraged by the results of this pilot scheme. ‘Rough sleepers who have lived on the streets for 10, 20 or even 30 years-plus are now choosing to live in accommodation of their choice, rather than in door ways and car parks, and slowly rebuilding their lives.' Fifteen rough sleepers, each of whom were previously the most resistant to change and had slept rough for many years, have been offered a personal budget. Nine of them are now in accommodation, with one more moving in shortly. Two rough sleepers have declined the offer of a personal budget. In the initial stages of the scheme, some rough sleepers questioned the idea behind the personal budgets, what they could – or should – ask for, how much, or what they were being asked to sign up to. As it happens, there have been no cases of people asking for inappropriate things, or ideas which have been reviewed and rejected. One of the rough sleepers, Thomas – not his real name – says: ‘Me being in a hostel for three months is a miracle. The personal budget has made it possible for me to stay here, and there's a good chance that I could have been back on the streets by now, if not for the budget.' The City of London Corporation has been so impressed with the results of the scheme that it has decided to continue it until the end of the 2011 financial year using the remaining money from the CLG and dipping into its own funds. The scheme will be independently assessed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in July 2010. It is not clear yet whether other local authorities will follow suit with using personal budgets for their long-term rough sleepers, but if the success stories of the 10 men who have been helped so far in the City of London is repeated in the other pilot areas of South Devon, Nottingham and Northampton, then it is certainly something local authorities should consider very seriously. Billy Dove is chairman of the community and children's services committee at the City of London Corporation

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WHITEHALL

A bit of rough

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