"People were genuinely interested in the issues around homelessness and very receptive to our residents. We now hope to continue to build some important relationships."

That was the verdict from Salvation Army Housing Association (SAHA) Chief Executive Mr Nigel Parrington, after people from SAHA centres across the country shared their personal experiences of homelessness with MPs and Peers during a reception at the House of Commons.

The two-hour reception (14 October) was the culmination of the 50^th anniversary celebrations for  SAHA, a housing association offering both supported and general needs accommodation. SAHA's primary partner in supported housing is The Salvation Army involving more than 40 residential centres for homeless people where SAHA own and manage the building and provide a quality assurance monitoring service and The Salvation Army is contracted by SAHA to provide support services for the residents.  

Nigel Parrington said the reception had been an opportunity for learning on both sides: "Some of the issues which affect homeless and socially excluded people are often sidelined in our culture and may not be top of the political agenda. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of our residents to speak directly to policy makers and we are so grateful to those MPs and Lords who gave up their time to meet us.

"Members of both houses were very receptive to the issues which we were addressing and I know this was an exciting and important time for our residents as they shared their experiences of homelessness with people who may be in a position to ensure vital changes to policy. We've built some really good relationships and we will be following up on those new connections and will continue to have conversations around some of these important issues which affect homeless and socially excluded people."

Maff Potts, Director of Homelessness Services for The Salvation Army, said: "We are privileged to have worked alongside SAHA for 50 years and our relationship continues to grow. We work hard together to support and help improve the lives of homeless and formerly homeless people, and to champion their cause.

"Many of our residents want to share their stories themselves, and this event was a unique opportunity for them to do so. We hope that the MPs and Lords who attended the event will have gone away with a much clearer understanding of homelessness. Having met a person who has experienced and is experiencing homelessness puts a ‘face' on the issues and that has to be beneficial!"

The parliamentary reception gave both residents and support staff an opportunity to speak to parliamentarians about three specific issues which SAHA, its staff and residents believe help to perpetuate homelessness: the lack of affordable move on housing; the 16-hour rule which prohibits or restricts people's educational and work opportunities; and issues surrounding changes to Supporting People budgets which are designed to ensure that key groups like the single homeless and young people at risk receive support.

SAHA is calling for more affordable housing tied in with support systems that will ensure people eventually are able to live completely independent lives. For SAHA, and other supported housing providers, there are insufficient affordable facilities for service users to move into once they are ready to leave supported accommodation. The shortage of suitable affordable move on accommodation can result in residents remaining in Supporting People funded services for more than two years, essentially blocking up services to future service users. Differing local authority regulations relating to affordable accommodation, the reluctance of some landlords to accept tenants who are in receipt of direct housing benefit payments and the lack of support from local authorities for young people leaving the care system all add to the problem of persistent homelessness.

For SAHA there is a strong case to raise the 16-hour rule threshold to people aged over 25 years, as well as extending the number of hours which people can work without it affecting benefits. Currently the 16 hour rule prevents people aged over 21 years who are studying full time, from claiming housing benefit, forcing them to choose between their home and their education. Research by Rainer, a national charity for under-supported young people, suggests the 16 hour rule can drive up levels of debt by contributing to rent arrears among young people who study despite these difficulties and then encounter problems with eligibility for Housing Benefit. This is detrimental to the personal educational development of those who are studying at college or at sixth form and can impact on the risk of them becoming homeless.

The removal of the ring-fence around Supporting People (SP) budgets, SAHA believes, could be detrimental to the SP programme, its services and ultimately the success of residents in achieving their independence if programmes become unsustainable. Without sustained and guaranteed SP money many support services may have to close. It helps SAHA in its Foyers, Supported Housing, Sheltered and Agency Managed Centres, to provide a better quality of life for vulnerable people to live more independently and maintain their tenancies by providing a preventative and supportive role in relation to homelessness.

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