Missed opportunities: The Case for Investment in Learning and Skills for Homeless People

1. Missed opportunities:The Case for Investment in Learning and Skills for Homeless People Jane Luby, 13 July 2006

2. Research brief and method • To explore the policy and economic case for learning and skills provision • Focus on single homeless people • Learning and skills development: • Accredited (formal) learning • Life skills: budgeting, communication skills, anger management • Informal learning opportunities • Preparation for work • Review of: Government strategies; research on benefits of learning; homelessness research • Interviews with homeless people, funders, policy makers, learning providers

3. Some facts and figures Attitudes to and experience of learning: • 4 x more likely to have no qualifications • 6 x more likely to have problems reading and writing • More than half want to learn • Less than 1/5 engaged in learning Attitudes to and experience of work: • 97% want to work, ¾ want to work now • Most have worked in the past • Less than 2% of homeless people are in full-time work • 12% are in part-time work

4. Impact on homelessness • Homeless people are intensive users of public services • High incidence of repeat homelessness • Gov recognises need for holistic packages of support • Poor life skills, loneliness and lack of confidence all contribute to continued homelessness • L&S increases confidence, improves life skills, widens social networks • Helps to address mental health needs, substance misuse and offending

5. Wider Policy Benefits • Delivers value for money to Skills Agenda plus reduction in inequality and wider social benefits • Supports transition from Welfare to Work for group with highest level of worklessness • Supports Substance Misuse treatment outcomes for the 50-75% with problematic substance misuse • Reduces offending: 40% of homeless people at risk of serial, low level crime • Improves health for 70% with mental ill-health and 50% with physical illness or disability • Builds stronger, safer communitiesbyreducing crime, anti-social behaviour and improving civic participation

6. Benefits through costs avoided • Homeless people can cost up to £50,000 per year • £15,000 for support/benefits whilst in hostel • £2,000 per tenancy breakdown • £14,000 per residential substance misuse treatment • £126,000 cost of re-offending • Cost of £206 per ASB incident • 11x more likely to use acute mental health services at £6,000 per episode • 4 x more likely to be admitted to hospital at £2,500 per admission

7. Personal Barriers • Loss of dignity/confidence • Poor social skills • Negative past experiences/peer influences • Fears of failure • Multiple needs = need for flexible & holistic response • Mainstream providers not always responsive to needs

8. Service/funding barriers • Only 1/3 of homeless services offer support to engage • Frontline staff not committed/trained to support learning • Lack of information about learning opportunities • Focus from funders on higher level qualifications/work outcomes • Totality of benefits not measured or recognised • Individual funders disinvesting in learning and skills for homeless people • Bulk contracting excludes voluntary sector

9. Conclusions • Homeless people’s multiple needs should put them at forefront of key Government agendas • Learning and skills deliver benefits across all of these • If it isn’t measured, it won’t count • Explicit focus on learning and skills of homeless people required across strategies, funders and providers • Local partnerships can deliver added value – but need new funding for engagement/first rung learning • Joined up working at national level must come first

10. Research Summary and Full Report available from: www.crisis.org.uk/researchbank