The CHAR Blueprint: Its relevance for the Probation Service
| Published date | 01 September 1983 |
| Date | 01 September 1983 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058303000310 |
| Author | Stephen McGrath |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The CHAR
Blueprint: Its
relevance for the Probation
Service
Stephen McGrath
Senior Probation Officer, Greater Manchester
Efforts to meet the needs of the single homeless have been
piecemeal and small scale. Only a concerted policy of public
sector provision can remedy this substantial injustice. The
Probation Service can adopt CHAR’s programme and use its
specialist knowledge to press for change.
Probation officers will need no reminding of
Service and individual officers have probably
the considerable proportion of their time taken up
relied heavily on the private and voluntary sector.
attempting to find suitable and acceptablehousing
It is hoped that this article can contribute to the
for their clients - frequently in competition with
view that the Probation Service should shift its
other advisors and their clients. The
focus on public activity within the area of housing
accommodation available is invariably of poor
to obtain an improved provision of Local
quality and unsuitable, such as a run-down
Authority housing for its clients.
lodging house or hostel that very often are neither
In October 1982, CHAR (The National
requested by the client or felt to be appropriate by
Campaign for the Single Homeless) launched its
the officer. In many areas, it is true, a more
Blueprint: Local Housing Policies for Single
collective approach is adopted by probation
People. For the reasons given above and as will
officers with lodging schemes and some staff
be explained below, it is believed that this
resources
allocated totally to the task of locating
document can be of great relevance to the work
accommodation. Probation officers are also
of the Probation Service and NAPO.
frequently involved in the management of a
voluntary housing project.
Why a Blueprint?
However, it is clear that the housing provision
As its full title suggests, the Blueprint is an
referred to above is completely inadequate in
attempt by CHAR to influence and encourage
quantity, variety and, more often than not, in
local housing authorities to develop housing
quality. Access for Probation clients and for
policies which meet the needs of single and single
single people generally to council or housing
homeless people. The evidence to show that
association accommodation is still, despite recent
existing housing policies and provision do not
improvements in some Metropolitan areas, diffi-
meet
these needs is overwhelming. The only piece
cult to achieve. Even when an offer of a council
of legislation aimed specifically at homelessness
or housing association flat is made, which can
(The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977)
often be in a hard to let area, a single person
offers nothing but ’advice and assistance’ to ’new
frequently experiences considerable difficulty in
priority’ homeless people - which include the
persuading the DHSS to make a grant for
majority of single homeless people. This piece of
furniture.
legislation can be used by some authorities to help
Generally speaking, therefore, whilst the
avoid facing the problem of single homelessness
Probation Service has no specified duty to
in its area. Local authority housing policies have,
accommodate offenders, it has been trying to do
in the past, concentrated heavily on provision for
just that over a number of years. In doing so, the
families vet it is the demand for sin2&dquo;le accom-
107
modation that is growing. In 1966 15 % of all
on
housing for single and single homeless people.
households were single persons. The projected
W...
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