Innovation in Social Integration: Social Enterprise, Social Integration and Education Services for Homeless People, Lessons from the UK

9th European Research Conference

Homelessness in Times of Crisis Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014

Innovation in Social Integration Social Integration for homeless people, lessons from Britain

Joanne Bretherton

Nicholas Pleace

Centre for Housing Policy



Introduction

The British context and development of

services focused on social integration.

The research

Time Banking

Crisis Skylight

Conclusions



The British Context

Successes in housing sustainment

But concerns that economic and social

marginalisation persists beyond

homelessness

Policy agendas to end poverty and

marginalisation through paid work Welfare reforms

Emphasis on ending poverty through paid work



Key Aspects

Humanitarian Stigmatisation

Social support

Economic inclusion

Practical Health and well-being

Housing sustainment

Political Social cohesion

Cost benefits



The Research

Three and half year longitudinal action research

project on the Broadway Time Banking scheme

across London.

Longitudinal evaluation of the Crisis Skylight

programme, tracking 135 people over three

years across six sites in London, Oxford,

Newcastle, Merseyside, Birmingham and

Edinburgh.

Mixed methods research.



Time Banking: The Model Community-led innovation using time as

currency.

Reciprocal service exchange. One hour of

time given earns an hour of time credit to

use on something else. Credits could be

‘banked’ and used later.

An hour’s worth of a person’s labour =

a ‘Time Dollar’ in the US and

a ‘Time Credit’ in Britain

Began in Japan in the 1950’s and later

developed in the US. Now present in over

forty countries across six continents.

Using often untapped skills, ranging from

manual work to gardening, hairdressing or

language teaching. Any ‘skill’ can be utilised.

Time Banks can value work which is

normally unrewarded and value

contributions from people marginalised from

the conventional economy.



Time Banking: Core Principles

At the heart of Time Banking lies the ethos of:

Recognising, drawing upon and rewarding people’s full potential to

enhance communities and organisations.

Redefining work by creating a currency that pays people for helping

each other and creating a better place in which to live.

Using mutual exchange to improve relationships and trust with others.

Increasing social capital through participation in community networks to

give more meaning to people’s lives.



Time Banking for homeless people

Considerable research demonstrated difficulties for homeless

people accessing education, training and employment.

Lack of accommodation / no permanent address

Lack of certainty / security

Low confidence and self-esteem

Low educational attainment, training and or experience

Poor knowledge and access to employment opportunities

Employer attitudes

Complex needs that require support – difficulty in structuring time, interpersonal

skills.

Time Banks however focus on skills and potential rather than deficits

or support needs only.



Time Banking for homeless people

Time Banks can address the needs of homeless people.

A lack of empirical evidence on potential benefits of Time Banking but some

research suggests it can increase self esteem, develop (sometimes

unknown) skills and increase networks and community involvement.

Been used in a variety of settings including services for young and older

people, housing and criminal justice. Often attracting socially excluded

groups who would not usually participate in traditional volunteering.

Gives responsibility to those that have previously been considered or made

to feel that they are ‘the problem’.

Time Banks strive to make people feel useful in utilising whatever skill or

service they can offer.

These skills can be fine-tuned and even lead to employment or self-

employment.



Time Banking at Broadway Started operating in 2010 and was the

first attempt to bring Time Banking to

the homelessness sector.

It addressed the policy imperative in

Britain to secure access to paid work

for homeless people and received high

level interest from central Government.

Its aims were to increase:

employability though skills

development, work experience and

increased confidence and self-esteem;

economic independence by supporting

participants into employment or self-

employment;

positive involvement in the local

community through Time Bank activity.

Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister) and Ian

Duncan Smith (Secretary of State for Work

and Pensions) at the Broadway Time Bank

at the start of the research in 2010.



Time Banking at Broadway: Demographics

Other Asian British Mixed Black British White

2 10

28

89

175

0 4 11

35

58

Time Bankers

Men Women



Time Banking Activity

Over 400 Time Banking clients logged in 2010-2013.

Eighty-eight DIFFERENT types of activity undertaken ranging from

working on reception as part of a work and learning activity, through

to gardening, cooking, IT training or arts-based activities.

From available data: 2,334 Time Banking activities were recorded

and 6,619 hours spent.

Time Banking had flexibility and could be used to facilitate bespoke

activities for individual Broadway clients, enabling lone individuals to

use their time credits or offer their time in areas as diverse as

poetry, learning Spanish, or teaching others how to play chess.



Time Banking Activity



Outcomes of Time Banking

Clear evidence that Time Banking had successfully

engaged with homeless people who were distant from

formal work and learning.

Engagement with positive, meaningful activity, up to and

including formal education, training, volunteering or work

placements that could, in some cases, lead directly to

paid work.

These people were exposed to opportunities that helped

them back towards social and economic inclusion.

Time Banking is unique by rewarding people with credits

that could be spent later. Tangible benefits.



Outcomes of Time Banking

Structure and Meaningful Activity:

It gives me purpose…It normalises your life. (Client, Year 2)

This gave me some structure and reason to get out of bed in the morning. (Client, Year 2)

Boredom and Isolation:

I didn’t particularly go into it thinking ‘oh I’ll get something out of this’, I did

it because I needed to use my time usefully ‘cos I had problems with addictions

and stuff like that… (Client, Year 3)

Self Confidence:

One lady who never comes out of her room as she’s quite vulnerable, always comes to the

art group. You can’t get more positive than that. (Client, Year 2)

I think that it does make people…stop and realise that you do have skills to offer and that

by exercising them you can develop them into something else…I think it makes

you realise that you are employable. (Client, Year 3)



Employment & Training Outcomes 2012/13



Wider Outcomes of Time Banking

Wider social cohesion

Engagement with professionals, businesses and other Time Banks

It makes people feel good, it makes people feel really good about

giving something back, I think that’s the most important thing. People

are engaged in their community, they are donating their time for other

people, that’s very important. And such a huge thing for someone who

has spent so long being ostracised and isolated from mainstream

society, its huge, that does really feed self-confidence, that they can

be part of mainstream society… (Stakeholder, Year 2)



Time Banking: Limits

Lack of engagement Not a universal success

Problems with Information Some felt that they did not really understand what Time Banking

was or what activities were available to them.

Difficulties in spending accrued credits Lack of suitable options to spend their ‘earned’ Time credits

Activities too far away

Concerns about exploitation



Replication

From the outset in 2010 Broadway sought to develop a Time Bank

for homeless people that could be replicated across other

homelessness services.

Key strength of Broadway’s approach was the success in engaging

a large number of people with diverse needs. Flexibility of the model

was a key component.

At the point of completing the research, Broadway had a dedicated

member of staff providing support and advice to agencies who were

interested in developing a Time Bank for homeless people.



Skylight: The Model

Designed specifically to advance the social integration of

homeless people referred to as ‘progression’ towards

‘transformed’ lives

Arts-based activities

Performance (music, theatre, opera, dance)

Creative (writing, poetry, drawing, painting, textiles, ceramics)

Accredited learning, basic skills

Computing

English

Maths

Smartskills tutors, work and learning coaches



Crisis Skylight: The Model

Support with job seeking

Preparation of CV / résumé

Help with job searching

Individual support from work and learning and employment

workers

Self employment support

Skylight cafes – social enterprises offering training (3 sites)

Support with practical needs

Progression coaches and/or work and learning coaches

Mental Health Coordinators (not all services in 2012/13)

Housing Coaches (not all services in 2012/13)




Changing lives grants

Up to £3,000 (15,797 PLN, €3,775, $4,877)

To support moving into self-employment

For further and advanced education






Crisis Skylight: Philosophy

Personalisation or client-led approach

Workers and currently and formerly homeless people

work jointly to move towards a set of goals the homeless

person determines

Very different from British Government “Get any job now

or face severe welfare sanctions” policy – The Work

Programme - although that policy has been moderated in

relation to long-term homeless people, to allow them

more time



Crisis Skylight Delivery

Can be building based, with dedicated

classrooms, spaces for performance and

art, London, Oxford, Newcastle

Or Outreach, Birmingham, Edinburgh and

Merseyside (Liverpool), services are taken

into shelters, hostels, supported single site

communal/congregate housing and

daycentres



Crisis Skylight



Crisis Skylight



Activity 2012/13

10,256 people, either homeless, formerly homeless or at

risk used Skylight services

37% of activity in London

33% women

Ethnic diversity greatest in London

25% No educational qualifications

60% homeless at first contact

30% history of mental health problems

27% history of problematic drug/alcohol use



Activity 2012/13



Contacts

Type of activity One session Two to four sessions

Five or more sessions

Total

Education, training and job seeking 39% 33% 28% 100%

Arts based activities 38% 37% 26% 100%

Health and well being 43% 35% 22% 100%

Participation and involvement 89% 9% 3% 100%

Other 40% 42% 18% 100%

All activities 42% 33% 25% 100%



Outcomes 2012/13

Skylight Area of Improvement Housing Mental

health Took up external education/ training

Got paid work

Volunteered Exam passes and certifications

All positive outcomes

Edinburgh 20 0 5 30 12 41 108

Birmingham 26 8 267 105 90 893 1,341

London 379 113 507 439 315 1,410 3,163

Merseyside 23 1 119 65 77 175 460

Newcastle 115 41 113 98 51 1,038 1,456

Oxford 117 75 180 115 158 347 992

All Skylights 680 238 1,191 852 703 3,904 7,520



Direction and meaning

Crisis have been fantastic in my life. I probably could not

have done it without them because I probably would have

wasted another year feeling sorry for myself, thinking I

wasn’t going to get into college.

It is something to do as well. Something to get up out of

bed in the morning for. Look forward too. Instead of just

lazing about, oh I’ll go to the pub, have a couple of beers

kind of thing, you come in here, you learn something…I can

brush up on me maths skills, there’s plenty of computer

qualifications I can get.



Understanding and respect

I like the way they don’t treat you like a little kid or

something, they treat you like an adult. And you can have

like a decent conversation. They don’t treat you any

different. Like some people treat people who’ve been like

homeless, like different, they look down and Crisis don’t.

They are so respectful. They are not condescending, I find

that irritating and they are not. They are real. They’ve all

got a lot of life experience, but they’re very professional

with it. They’re great. They’re friendly as well, but the

boundaries are set. Can’t fault them.



‘Progression’ and ‘transformation’

I can’t praise them enough, what they’ve done for me…they’ve made

me feel different, made me more confident in myself, they brought me

out of my shell, like I say before I was a recluse I wouldn’t speak to no-

one, but they gave me confidence to do things.

I suppose I’ve had a voice. When you’ve been homeless and addicted

and things like that, you sort of lose your voice. And, I believe Crisis

has given me that voice back to feel like I’m worthy, I’m not just a

‘homeless drug addict’, you know ‘cos that is what a lot of people label

me as, I’m actually a person in my own right.



Crisis Skylight: Limits

Attrition after initial contacts is significant

Progress can be slow

Economic environment and negative

attitudes of some employers remain

Are limits in how far some can progress

towards paid work

Year one results, more to come



Conclusions

Both studies indicate that personalisation (client-led), respectful,

flexible services can deliver social integration

Potentially fractures some assumptions about the nature of single or

lone homelessness. Homeless people actively pursue a normal life

when given choice and resources to do so, they do not always need

to be “re-programmed” to be “non-homeless” in behaviour or

outlook.

Important not to confuse what homelessness can do to someone’s

self-esteem, social supports and social integration with that person’s

character or what they want from life.

A caveat is that not all actually engaged with these services.



Conclusions

Humanitarian Clear evidence of increased self-esteem

Sense of purpose, direction and potential regained or reasserted

Reduction in sense of stigmatisation

Practical Reductions in known risks associated with homelessness

Gains in health and well-being

Education, Training, Employment, self employment

Political Delivering social integration, increased economic activity and

general social cohesion, reductions in welfare spending



Conclusions

These services represent progress in increasing social integration of

homeless people.

People had moved into paid work, set up their own businesses,

engaged in training, volunteering and further education.

But there are limits, homeless people did not always engage with

Skylight for long, issues with spending Time Credits for Time

Banking.

Individual needs, characteristics and experiences may take some

time to overcome and for some, at least, eventual progress may fall

short of paid work.

But there is still evidence of generally beneficial effects around

esteem, activity and sense of purpose.



Reports

www.york.ac.uk/chp/



Thanks for Listening

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.york.ac.uk/chp/

www.womenshomelessness.org

Government & Nonprofit

Innovation in Social Integration: Social Enterprise, Social Integration and Education Services for Homeless People, Lessons from the UK