Brighton & Hove Temporary Accommodation Action Group Terms of Reference The Temporary Accommodation Action Group brings together all relevant stakeholders relating to emergency accommodation (EA) in Brighton & Hove (and outside the city when people are placed out of area) to identify issues, and work together to develop solutions to help make peoples experience of EA as safe and healthy as possible. Introduction In April 2017 Justlife were asked by Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) to organise and host a Temporary Accommodation Action Group (TAAG). This followed the campaigning of ETHRAG (Emergency & Temporary Housing Residents Action Group) and representation to the Housing & New Homes Committee and Justlife’s research paper (The Journey Home – December 2016 Justlife/IPPR North) that recommended TAAG’s be developed to help engage with issues and find solutions around temporary and emergency accommodation. Why the TAAG? It has been identified by stakeholders that there can be numerous issues around temporary accommodation, and specifically EA, in the city. People placed in EA are experiencing homelessness and may also have other support needs or vulnerabilities (see notes section ‘Who is placed in EA?) and these issues can hinder people’s recovery and journey away from homelessness. How will the TAAG help? The TAAG will;

• Begin to build trust between stakeholders. • To hear and capture resident voices. • To identify challenges faced by stakeholders. • To work collaboratively to find effective and innovative solutions. • Develop further recommendations for improving services to temporary & emergency

accommodation in the city. What will the TAAG do?

• The TAAG will meet every 3 months. The meetings will be collaborative and solution focussed in approach.

• The TAAG will have an action plan of challenges that can be worked on together. • Short term working groups will form around specific issues/solutions from the action plan • Receive updates from stakeholders on developments related to EA such as eviction rates, new

support services or resident feedback Who does the TAAG report to? The TAAG will report back to the Housing & new Homes Committee when requested

Who will come to the TAAG? • Support services • Representatives from residents’ groups • Officers from the council • Elected members of the council • Accommodation providers

Email distribution list for meetings and the minutes (as of December 18)

Name Organisation

Gary Bishop Arch Healthcare

Peter Sutcliffe Arch Healthcare

Tim Worthley Arch Healthcare

Livvy McAlpine Baron Homes

Michael Blencowe Baron Homes

Vashikeh Clarke Baron Homes

Andy Witham BHCC - Adult Social Care

Beth O'Dell BHCC - Adult Social Care

Emily Ashmore BHCC - Adult Social Care

Fiona Jupp BHCC - Adult Social Care

Jenny Knight BHCC - Adult Social Care

Matt Morgan BHCC - Adult Social Care

Sue Forrest BHCC - Adult Social Care

Kate Eccles BHCC - Children's Services

Cllr. Clare Moonan BHCC - Councillor

Cllr. David Gibson BHCC - Councillor

Cllr. Mary Mears BHCC - Councillor

Cllr. Nancy Platts BHCC - Councillor

Jerry Aldous BHCC - Housing

Sami Slimani BHCC - Housing

Stephen Wraige BHCC - Housing

Sylvia Peckham BHCC - Housing

Larissa Reed BHCC - Neighbourhoods, Communities & Housing

Alistair Hill BHCC - Public Health

Suzanne Hennell BHT

Susan Coleman British Legion

Linda Harrington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

John Summers Colgate & Grey

Clare Hudson Emergency & Temporary Housing Residents Action Group (ETHRAG)

Daniel Harris Emergency & Temporary Housing Residents Action Group (ETHRAG)

Nikkie Brennan Emergency & Temporary Housing Residents Action Group (ETHRAG)

Emma Harrington Equinox

Martin Curtis Equinox

Alan Wallace Fulfilling Lives

Claud Murray Fulfilling Lives

James Wood Fulfilling Lives

Rebecca Rieley Fulfilling Lives

Neil Jones Fulfilling Lives Action Group

Derek Manthorpe Hartman Homes

Angelique Glata Helgor Trading

Romain Hebrail Helgor Trading

Caterina Speight Homeless Team - Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust (SCFT)

Jil Burns Homeless Team - Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust (SCFT)

Christa Maciver Justlife

Emma Mukerjee Justlife

Simon Gale Justlife

Trevor Cox Mental Health Homeless Team - Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT)

Mike Newman Pavilions

Sheona Nicol Resident

Steve Bulbeck Seaside Homes

Gareth Liley Southdown Support - Southdown Housing

Roland Williams Southdown Support - Southdown Housing

Adam Paulk Space Mates

Sarah Mitchell St Mungo's

Rob Whitehead Sussex Community Development Association

Greg Headley The Passage

Eleanor Malone Youth Advice Centre (YAC) - YMCA Downslink Notes What is EA? EA is part of the temporary accommodation (TA) in the city (and outside of the city) where the local authority place people who they have a legal duty to house (or while they investigate a potential duty) when they have become homeless. The local authority contract private landlords to run EA and residents have nightly non-secure licences. The accommodation is run according to the contracts the providers have with the local authority, which may vary between providers, and each provider may be different in the way they choose to run regarding areas such as ground rules, service charge and allowing visitors. Placements in EA can range from a few weeks to a few years. ‘Block booked’ EA (contracts for all the rooms throughout the year) includes Grand Parade, Windsor Court, Brunswick Place, Percival Terrace, The Heathers & The Bay Tree (both Lower Rock Gardens) and Kendal Court (Newhaven). ‘Spot purchased’ EA (accommodation booked by Brighton & Hove and other local authorities on a nightly basis) includes Seafield Road, The Wardley Hotel and accommodation further afield such as Seaford and Eastbourne. Who is placed in EA? People placed in EA are officially homeless. Homelessness occurs for a variety of reasons as we know and individuals will all have different levels of resilience and support needs but research shows people who are homeless are more likely to be unemployed or unable to work, have a mental health diagnosis, suffer from poor physical health or non-diagnosed mental health issues, or need support for substance misuse. Homelessness its self is traumatic but statistics show that a large percentage of people who experience homelessness have also experienced past trauma. Lankelly Chase’s report in 2015 Hard Edges - Mapping severe and multiple disadvantage in England showed 85% of people in contact with homelessness services, substance misuse services or the criminal justice system experienced adverse traumatic experiences in childhood. Over the past few years the homelessness sector has become more aware of the need to work with people in psychologically or trauma informed way, ensuring support services and the physical environments used to house and work with people take this into account. Version 1 -Agreed on 02/11/18