Mayor's life changing Housing 1st pilot saves taxpayer nearly £35,000 for every person helped

AN independent study has found that the Housing 1st programme launched by Steve Rotheram, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, is saving taxpayers an average £34,500 a year for each person it helps out of homelessness. Independent consultants Beyond Better monitored 20 service users being supported by the ground-breaking scheme over the course of a year; comparing the cost of the programme to the likely cost to the public purse if they had not received help. Savings ranged from £27,000 to £66,000 a year for people on the Housing 1st programme, which is specifically targeted at entrenched homelessness and those with complex needs. Taking into account Housing 1st costs, the annual saving to the taxpayer stood at an average £34,500 for each service user. Meanwhile, a 2nd report, commissioned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, evaluated the programme's activity. Consultants Campbell Tickell found the pilot was 3.5 times more effective in supporting homeless people to secure and sustain tenancies compared to traditional methods, and while Housing 1st cost more, it was twice as cost effective. Engagement with other services, such as drug and alcohol support had also improved for 68% of Housing 1st service users, many of whom have personal histories characterised by multiple, long term and severe trauma.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- "The measure of any decent society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. There has been an alarming rise in homelessness over the past decade, while the ongoing cost of living crisis is forcing many into homelessness and destitution as they struggle to make ends meet. But it doesn't have to be this way. 1 of the 1st policies I introduced when I was elected was Housing 1st. It's a totally different way of working that radically changes the way that our Region helps rough sleepers. Treating people with dignity, recognising that they are human beings not statistics, and offering them wraparound support to deal with often very complex needs, we're helping to provide a safety net in these hard times. I like to think of it as radical kindness. We have helped more than 220 people out of homelessness, with 90% of them getting their 1st secure tenancy in their lifetime. But this isn't about the numbers or statistics. What matters is that people's lives have been transformed for the better, offered a second chance to turn their lives around. As this new research shows, not only is our Housing 1st scheme helping people in our Region, but it's also helping the taxpayer too by saving money compared with traditional approaches. Given the pressures on public finances caused by 12 hard years of austerity, that is money that can be invested back into providing much-needed services. Due to the effects of the Government's mini budget, it is likely that there will be more and more people we will need to support."

1 of only 3 Housing 1st pilot scheme in England, Liverpool City Region's programme is currently supporting more than 200 people; with nearly 90% sustaining their tenancy. The Liverpool City Region has been praised for the way its programme sticks closely to Housing 1st's 7 founding principles. These are focused on enabling the service user and research has found that programmes are more effective, the closer they adhere to core principles.

The Campbell Tickell report commended the programme's flexible and problem-solving approach and found the collaborative way it is working with multiple agencies has helped bring about wider cultural changes. These include understanding and acting upon how trauma may have impacted a person psychologically and what those triggers might be, as well as having a more flexible approach to evictions.

Graham Morgan, the Combined Authority's Portfolio Holder for Housing and Spatial Framework said:- "The Combined Authority has been able to focus on a new approach to homelessness with Housing 1st. It's encouraging to see how understanding the complex histories of the service users, combined with the joined up agency approach has been recognised in the City Region and how it is benefitting people. Housing 1st is a long-term solution and I welcome the findings of the studies which will enable us to further solidify the direction we want to go in."

Service user 'Monica' said:- "My support worker recognised what support I needed and I spent some time in hospital improving my mental health. Housing 1st made sure I didn't lose my tenancy while I was getting better and now I choose not to drink or do drugs. I really think of my support worker as my friend and I love all the things we do together and how they are always there for me. I can't thank them enough for how my life has changed."

Based on successful schemes from around the world, Housing 1st uses a different approach to end repeat and chronic homelessness. In traditional homeless services, people are expected to demonstrate they are 'housing ready' before they can access a tenancy. In Housing 1st, providing a home is the starting point rather than an end goal.

It then provides individual, targeted support to deal with mental and physical health issues, such as addiction and the effects of trauma and abuse.

Driving employment in the North... Report reveals Post Office supports 5,275 full time equivalent jobs in North West

A new independent report by London Economics reveals that in the North West of England, the Post Office generates an economic impact of £100million, the equivalent of £53 per person. Across the UK, Post Office has an economic impact of £4.7bn, more than the annual economic impact of Heathrow Airport.

London Economics found that on the high street alone, visits to Post Offices generate over £3 billion a year of spending in nearby shops and businesses and nearly £1 billion of spending in host retailers as a result of the customers that their Post Office attracts. In the North West, Post Office trips generated additional expenditure of £370million in other high street shops, which equates to £50 per person.

Post Office and its network of branches supports and sustains nearly 50,000 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs throughout the United Kingdom. This is approximately the same number of full-time employees as there are in a City the size of Lincoln or Exeter.[1] Post Office's extensive reach means it helps support 5,275 FTE jobs in the North West, and at least 1,900 FTE jobs in every Region of the UK.

The report titled Part and Parcel; the economic and social value of Post Office, highlighted Post Office's crucial role as part of the underlying economic infrastructure of the United Kingdom and as an enabler of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Post Office is worth almost £1bn overall to SMEs, with nearly 3 in 10 SMEs using a Post Office once a week to deposit cash and use mails services.

The report found that Post Office has an average economic impact of £5.8m per parliamentary constituency, which is equivalent to an economic contribution of £57 per person. Out of 650 constituencies, there were 102 constituencies (16%) associated with at least £7.5 million of UK-wide economic impact and 426 (66%) associated with an impact of at least £5 million.

Nick Read, CEO of Post Office, said:- "Post Office branches are essential to the high street ecosystem, driving footfall and generating wider nearby economic activity, as well as providing an underlying economic infrastructure that supports SMEs. The report shows that this economic contribution is felt in every corner of the country, and across each parliamentary constituency, supporting 50,000 jobs, and generating an aggregate economic impact of £4.7 billion every year. Post Office is essential for the shopkeepers, traders, and nascent businesses of the nation as a whole, who rely on our continued presence on high streets in towns and villages everywhere."

James Cannings, Economic Consultant at London Economics and 1 of the report's authors said:- "This report highlights the enormous value that Post Office generates in every corner of the United Kingdom, with a reach that is rarely seen by other businesses. Post Office is the backbone of the UK's economy, supporting economic value through working as an important enabler for businesses. It also plays a key role in keeping the UK's day to day commercial activities alive by creating a trusted anchor on high streets and by generating a livelihood for Postmasters."

The report also found that the social value to consumers alone delivered by the Post Office was 16.5 times greater than the funding received from Government. The annual social value of Post Office as a whole to consumers is as much as £3.8 billion and, on average, consumers said they were willing to pay more than £130 for Post Office services per household each year.

The report additionally highlights the important role Post Office's play in maintaining banking infrastructure across the UK. With the decline of high-street banks, Post Office is the mainstay of the United Kingdom's banking infrastructure for vulnerable and less well-off individuals, with 15% of the population depending on their local Post Office branch for cash and banking services.

Nick Read added:- "Simply put, Post Offices, and the dedicated Postmasters and Postmistresses who run them, keep people connected. Connected to the financial system and their cash, to their friends and loved ones, to their customers at home or overseas, and connected to 1 another in what may, for some, be the only human contact in the day. It is very telling that half of customers believe Post Office fosters a sense of belonging in the community. Post Offices should not be overlooked nor taken for granted."

James Cannings added:- "Our research shows how Post Office supports the most vulnerable in our society by maintaining vital services close to their homes, particularly during the current cost-of-living crisis. It is striking that vulnerable individuals are more likely to use Post Office services, such as cash and banking, and place a higher value on Post Office than others, despite generally having lower incomes. Post Office has already faithfully served the entire UK for nearly 4 centuries but has never been more important than it is today."