Involving a range of stakeholders to talk about their experiences of a local homelessness system might seem straightforward. Many of us spend our days managing or experiencing the complexities of tackling homelessness and are experts at emergency responses, however, this can make it hard to see outside of this immediate response to a very human crisis. The opportunity to respond to fieldwork that seeks to better understand why the crisis happened in the first place was welcomed here in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP).

We’re lucky to have a very strong Homelessness Partnership in BCP which has been evolving for several years, involving voluntary and community organisations, as well as statutory bodies like the council and private sector providers. That said, insights that can support positive change to homelessness systems are strongly welcomed.

We were particularly interested in collaborative interventions that are proven to work and could provide new opportunities to scale up. Our local partnership understands that change doesn’t happen overnight, however we know that small positive changes can have a big impact on wider systems. Where communicated well, interventions that prevent homelessness and improve lives can change behaviours.  

As with a lot of the initial report’s findings, the structural homelessness drivers identified are not overly surprising or new to us. However, the importance of looking beyond national policy constraints when reflecting upon what works locally is critical.

While councils will understandably be drawn to focus on their day-to-day work - numbers of people living in temporary accommodation, vulnerability or priority need assessments, interventions within fifty-six days – real value can be found in this work by considering the impact of relational services and behaviour change which can improve outcomes in people’s lives more broadly.

Housing security. Health. Wellbeing. Truly creating places for people to achieve their aspirations. These are the real ways that we can avert the flow of people into experiences of homelessness. The work to review the homelessness system has started to create different conversations locally about what to prioritise and how; seeking genuine preventative solutions which are not undermined by policy and aim to see and understand the issue differently from a perspective beyond the immediate crisis. 

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole shared examples of how we ensure that successful local measures can be used as a blueprint for creating greater impact, whether that’s the provision of specialist and supported wrap-around housing, or simply the way in which a cohort is provided with advice and support.

Effective collaboration, relational delivery models and true partnership can deliver change in our systems. We see this in pockets of our practice, even though our ongoing challenge is to consistently learn from individuals’ experiences, particularly if they encounter any gaps in provision.

For the next stages of the evaluation, creating the right climate for identifying change remains an important step. Embracing and building trust in relational systems and services can improve learning at a local level, particularly where using common language, taking risks and sharing successes are delivered in partnership. Of course, all of this takes energy and relentless optimism - two things we’re lucky to have plenty of here in BCP.

Ben Tomlin is Head of Strategic Housing and Partnerships at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

‍