Area Accommodation Strategies: A Partnership Approach to Housing for Homeless Offenders
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058803500313 |
| Author | Nicholas Day |
| Published date | 01 September 1988 |
| Date | 01 September 1988 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
110
Area
Accommodation
Strategies:
A
Partnership
Approach
to
Housing
for
Homeless
Offenders
Nicholas
Day
Community
Development
Resource
Unit,
Devon
In
June
1988
the
Home
Office
issued
HOC
35/1988
announcing
radical
changes
in
the
process
by
which
grant
aid
is
paid
to
voluntary
housing
projects
for
offenders.
Each
Probation
Committee
must
establish
an
accommodation
forum
in
partnership
with
other
bodies,
incorporating
hostels,
commercial
lodgings
and
standard
housing
in
a
comprehensive
strategy.
The
author,
the
Development
Officer
in
a
Service
already
committed
to
consultation
and
development,
explores
the
possibilities
and
demands
of
effective
partnership.
The
origins
of
the
new
arrangements
lay
with
a
review
of
grant-aiding,
begun
in
1985,
when
the
Home
Office
imposed
a
moratorium
pro-
hibiting
new
project
developments
approved
by
the
Housing
Corporation
from
gaining
grant-
aid.
This
was
inopportune
during
a
period
of
increasing
homelessness
and
a
greater
pressure
on
the
Probation
Service
to
play a
more
effec-
tive
role
in
reducing
the
use
of
prison.
However,
one
important
outcome
of
the
review
is
the
embodiment
of
the
new
partnership
prin-
ciple
between
the
Probation
Service,
the
volun-
tary
sector
and
housing
agencies.
The
New
Arrangements
Area
Probation
Committees
are
required
to
develop
Area
Accommodation
Strategies
(AAS’s),
to
be
renewed
every
three
years:
1.
to
consider
the
overall
demand
for
offender
accommodation;
2.
to
assess
the
extent
to
which
that
demand
is
adequately
met
by
existing
provision;
3.
to
agree
roles
for
the
voluntary
after-care
projects
in
the
area
with
a
view
to
their
meeting
identified
needs;
4.
to
make
recommendations
to
the
Home
Of-
fice
concerning
funding
of
projects
when
monitored
against
agreed
role.
These
strategies
must
be
constructed
through
partnership
forums.
The
membership
of
Forums
is
for
local
determination
but
they
do
require
representatives
from
the
Probation
Ser-
vice,
voluntary
managed
Probation
Hostels
and
voluntary
housing
projects
receiving
Home
Of-
fice
grant-aid.
In
recognition
of
the
lead
role
to
be
played
by
the
Probation
Committee,
an
elected
member
of
the that
Committee
is
re-
quired
to
chair
the
Forum,
and
its
Chief
Of-
ficer
must
provide
secretarial
resources.
The
Probation
Committee
must
also
ensure
that
its
Chief
Officer
establishes
suitable
ar-
rangements
to
monitor
and
evaluate
the
agreed
role that
each
probation
hostel
and
voluntary
housing
project
will
have
in
the
AAS.
The
mechanisms
for
monitoring
and
evaluation
must
themselves
be
agreed
in
the
local
forums;
but
it
is
increasingly
clear
that
SPOs
on
the
manage-
ment
Committees
of
voluntary
housing
projects
will
have
a
key
role
in
this
process.
How
the
AAS
takes
account
of
lodging
schemes,
the
need
of
hostel
residents for
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