Nacro Housing Annual Review
2015/16
Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Since becoming a service user I have been overwhelmed at
times at the level of support both offered and given by Nacro
staff – a lifeline and a positive way forward to a better life.
After attending my first national Community Voice Council
meeting I was very pleased to see the level of transparency of
Nacro and the willingness to listen to what service users
wanted and needed. The reason for applying for this role was
to use the skills learnt over many years… for the benefit of
others. My aim is to increase input from other service users
and get their points over to those that can and do make the
decisions, by improving how contact is made and ideas are
shared. I look forward to working with you all in the future.
Together we can improve the services and create new
opportunities for Nacro and its service users.
Chair, Nacro Community Voice
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Our work in 2015/16 4
Key facts and figures 5
Nacro Homes Agency 6
Success stories 7
Homes and our housing management service 9
Community safety 10
Move on 10
Developing our people 11
Nacro Community Voice Council 12
Case study: Zane’s story 13
Testimonials 14
Contents
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Our work in 2015/16
The Housing and Wellbeing service has offered commissioners a
wide range of housing and support solutions to meet the needs
of vulnerable people and to support communities building their
resilience and independence. As a social justice charity and
Registered Provider, we meet the housing needs of those that
cannot access or sustain housing themselves. We work with the
full range of local authority commissioners – from children’s
services to adult social care and health and housing – and aim to
contribute at a strategic level in meeting the housing and support
needs of residents. We also work with Police and Crime
Commissioners and Community Rehabilitation Companies to
contribute to safe communities.
As a trusted partner we have worked as a prime contractor, a
sub-contractor and in alliances with a wide range of
organisations, helping to ensure that we bring the right range of
expertise and local focus.
Our priorities are to provide solutions for young people including
care leavers, homeless people and others with complex needs,
including ex-offenders. We invest in innovative models of practice
which put service users and their needs at the heart of the
process. We measure outcomes but are particularly keen to
assess impact through the personal journeys and the change
that has been secured for individuals.
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Key facts and figures
The people we house include:
40% Young people aged 16-24
20% Single homeless with
support needs
3% Families
25.5% 24.5%had a disability
14.5%were from a black or
minority ethnic group
3,722
In 2015/16 we worked with
service users
We successfully moved 64% of people
from our housing services and 89%
of people within our floating support
services into independent stable
accommodation.
of those housed had a
primary or secondary
support need to manage
the risk of offending
48%
89%64%
Independent
stable
Floating
support
of our service users
are female
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Working in partnership with private sector landlords, we have
developed products to house people who are vulnerable and
require support, meeting the strategic needs of local authorities
and other partners. This has enabled Nacro Homes Agency
(NHA) to develop in many new areas of the country and to
support a wider range of service users including women and
families.
We have successfully secured grants to develop NHA in new
areas, such as one received from Virgin Money Foundation for
our new Teesside service.
We now have approximately
399 homes in management,
offering stability and a platform
for our service users to realise
their aspirations.399
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Success stories
This year has seen major changes in the way we deliver services to vulnerable people and young
people across the country. We have witnessed a change in approach from commissioners and
have responded accordingly in our service design, offer and ongoing delivery.
Lincolnshire
We have been successful in leading a consortium to deliver
services for 16-17 year olds, care leavers and young parents. We
have developed Young Person friendly processes, which have
their voices at the core and ensure a truly integrated and co-
produced support package and set of outcomes. The
development of a values charter and innovative training – such as
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and the Signs of Safety – mean we
have been able to share good practice with others and achieve a
94% success rate for planned/positive departures.
Stockport
Our Stockport service has seen the most dramatic change to
front-line service delivery this year through this innovative alliance-
based contract. Nacro is part of the Targeted Prevention Alliance
(TPA) – an innovative alliance-based contract made up of six
organisations supporting people in Stockport who may need some
assistance, support, advice or guidance. So far, TPA has worked
with more than 1,395 individuals to improve independence and
wellbeing. This equates to 7.3 new cases every working day. Of
these, 691 cases were closed as of 31st March 2016, having
achieved their desired outcomes.
A service user accessing the TPA described it as “100% brilliant”
and, through the interventions delivered, now sees her future as
“bright and joyful”.
94%success rate for
planned/positive
departures “100% brilliant”
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Success stories
Wales – prevention of homelessness schemes
Within Conwy & Denbighshire our resettlement teams have
supported 115 clients to access decent and sustainable
accommodation. In addition, a further 89 deposit guarantees
were provided.
With the changes to homeless legislation, our teams have been
working closely with the local authority homelessness teams to
develop working protocols, ensuring our work is joined-up,
complementary and ensures the most effective use of funding.
Across our range of supporting services in Wales we had 49
planned leavers successfully completing their programme of
support and achieving the following outcomes:
86% Feeling safe
91% Safety & wellbeing
78% Managing accommodation
68% Managing relationships
71% Feeling part of the community
74% Managing money
75% Engaging in education/learning
57% Engaging in employment/volunteering
78% Physically healthy
74% Mentally healthy
79% Leading a healthy and active lifestyle
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Homes and our housing management service
Effective housing management is central to our work. Good quality, well-maintained homes provide the environment for service users to get
back on track and to develop the positive behaviours that will enable them to sustain housing going forward. Landlords and partners can rely
on us to manage their properties effectively.
Gas safety -
99%compliance rates
were achieved in our
residential units
across the country
Responsive repairs -
94%of repairs were undertaken
within the target time and
94% resident satisfaction
with the maintenance
service was obtained
weeks
National average
relet time - Rent collection -
96.9%
3.3%
Bad debt
write off -
4.8%TO LET 2½
Voids –
rent loss
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Community safety
We take the safety and wellbeing of communities in which we
work seriously. Where appropriate, we work closely with the local
authority and Police, and participate in the Anti-Social Behaviour
Risk Assessment Conference (ASBRAC) process for supporting
victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and managing risk.
Move on
We successfully moved 64% of people from our housing services
into independent and/or stable accommodation and 89% of
people within our floating support services. Working with our
service users to achieve a successful move on is a key part of our
role; this will feature as a key area to develop in 2016/17,
recognising the challenges that the housing crisis has had,
especially for our service users.
Service user move on outcomes were as follows:
9% went to live with friends
17% returned to family
14% obtained a tenancy with a Local Authority
6% obtained a tenancy with a housing association
10% obtained a tenancy in the Private Rented Sector
10% accessed other supported housing
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614
1017
10
10
89%64%
89%64%
from our Supported Housing Services
from our Floating Support Services
Service user move on outcomes
Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Empathetic, professional and well-trained staff underpin our
services. We have a well-established appraisal process that is at
the centre of our approach to personal development planning
and driving performance improvement. We continue to invest in
high quality and specialist training to support the delivery of
services and we pay close attention to the needs of our service
users (for example, through safeguarding incidents and the
training needs that these generate for staff). In 2015/16 we
implemented programmes in Housing Practice, Motivational
Interviewing and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention. In addition, we
delivered training programmes in Domestic Violence, Self-Harm
and Suicide Awareness to strengthen our approach to
safeguarding.
“The course gave me some good tools to work with – my
approach is different now. I am a lot more patient when
doing assessment with my service users, listening to them
and bringing out their needs. I also talked through the
course at our staff meeting.”
“Using the techniques shown in the course has been
invaluable to my practice. I find that service users open up
much more which enables me to provide full support.”
Developing our people
Feedback from a project worker who attended the
‘Working with People who Offend’ course.
Feedback from a project worker who attended the
Samaritan’s ‘Self-Harm’ course.
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
Our formal involvement structure through the Nacro Community
Voice Council (NCVC) aims to:
• Ensure opportunities for involvement are available to all
• Recognise that our service users are individuals with differing
levels of interest in becoming involved
• Empower individuals to be involved at a level they feel is
appropriate
• Provide a range of involvement opportunities including
participation in local events, learner forums and house
meetings as well as the opportunity to be involved at a national
level
The Chair of the Council is also a co-opted member of Nacro’s
Finance and Performance Committee ensuring the voices of
service users are also represented in our governance structure.
The membership of our NCVC has increased greatly during the
year with representation from across the organisation (on average
membership stands at 25 individuals). Service users and staff
attend in person as well as linking in by video conference to
maximise accessibility to this forum. During the year, a new Chair
of Council was appointed following an open nomination and
selection process.
Our NCVC Coordinator has kept council members engaged by
involving them in meetings and consultations outside of the
council arena and, as such, they have fed into important
developments including:
• Housing annual review
• Digital transformation
• Move on strategy
• Safeguarding
• Comments and complaints
Nacro Community Voice Council
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
C A S E
STUDYZane’s Story
After 10 months of living in Nacro Young Persons Accommodation, Zane is getting ready to move on. He has
just been offered his own property. He reflects on his time with Nacro:
When I was growing up as a kid family life was fine – the issues started around the age of 13. My biological father wasn’t
really around much. I lived with my mum and stepdad and siblings, I noticed I wasn’t getting treated fairly and I felt alienated.
It caused a lot of very bad arguments. I got kicked out at 15 due to the arguments then moved in with a much older family
member, so we kind of had a generation clash and I went to live with a cousin. We were getting on fine and I really enjoyed
living with my cousin but I had to move out as she could no longer have me stay. I had no choice but to go back and live
with the much older relative, only then to get kicked out a few weeks later. After that I went to my first hostel which was in
Carlton. I stayed there for two months then moved to Nacro.
Since then, Nacro has helped me a lot, working around what best suits me and what I need improving on. Especially Will,
my Support Worker. Will has done a great job working with me, by sorting out my provisional driving licence, applying for
jobs, helping me deal and manage my money and budgeting, so a big thanks to Will! I also volunteered helping interview the
new staff that Nacro were recruiting. I’m moving on into my first council flat very shortly, and I’m really excited. I can’t say I’m
nervous because I’m familiar with the area I’ll be moving to and I really like moving around to different areas. I’m definitely ready.
In a year’s time I would like to have gained my SIA badge and be a qualified security guard, I would prefer to work night
shifts. I also want to try volunteer as a mentor for young people that have been in or are still in the position I was in. At the
end of last year one of my aunties emailed me from Canada asking if I wanted to move over there and live with her, and also
to go to college over there. I replied, “yes, that would be great!!’ So moving to Canada is my long-term goal/dream, and I’m
going to do everything in my power to make it happen.
My positive message to the young people of Nacro is get your head down and concentrate on making your life better. In
order to change your life sometimes you have to change your atmosphere – that could mean your friends or any bad crowds
you are involving yourself with. Also try your hardest to get as much experience in the sector you want to work in as
possible, as in today’s world getting a job is more based around what experience you have and not the qualifications you
have so don’t worry if you don’t have any or little.
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
“Nacro Nottingham Young Persons team were delighted to work
with the Nottinghamshire Youth Commission on Police and
Crime in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Police & Crime
Commissioner to gain the views of our service users on policing,
knife crime and youth offending rehabilitation in Nottingham.
The focus groups we have held at Nacro have given our service
users a platform to have their say on these very important
subjects. Our service users are at the heart of what we do and
we are very proud to have become involved in such an important
and influential local consultation.”
Katherine Lewis, Team Manager Nacro Nottingham YP
“Being on the youth commission has really meant a lot to me
over these past few months. I have learnt a lot about my rights
as an individual and how the Police force operates. The subjects
we have researched were the subjects that really needed
addressing especially ‘Stop & Search’ which is often a cause for
debate among young people.”
Nathanial Moore, service user
“When staff re-located to 129 Ladyshot in September 2015,
Wi-Fi was installed and made accessible to all tenants living at
the property. Since Wi-Fi has been installed it has made a
significant improvement to all tenant’s lives. For those who are
attending college this has enabled them to complete college
assignments, revise for exams and research to further their
knowledge. Tenants who are seeking work are able to search for
jobs on a daily basis which improves their chance of finding
suitable work.
“There are not enough resources locally to access Wi-Fi and this
has been looked into by staff. The library only allocates an hour
to use their computers and the college is only accessible in
college open hours. Cafés and restaurants that offer free Wi-Fi
are only useable with tenants that can afford to eat/drink there
and this would not be something that could be done daily. This
was proving to cause barriers to our tenants and cause them to
fall behind on work and feel stressed and anxious.
“A huge impact has also been communication. The majority of
our tenants run out of phone credit very quickly, however when
they log onto the Wi-Fi they can WhatsApp or use social media
to contact their friends and family. This has ensured they do not
become isolated and maintain the relationships they have with
their friends and family members. The majority of young people
in society have access to Wi-Fi and providing it in our properties
ensures all tenants feel included and socially accepted.”
Carrie Wright, Interim Senior Project Worker
“Easy and quick way to talk to people. If there was no Wi-Fi I
would hardly speak to anyone.”
Harlow Resettlement Tenant
“Beneficial to do college work. I can go online to do revision
for Maths and English. Also my Dad lives in Australia so I can
Skype with him.”
Harlow Resettlement Tenant
Testimonials
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Nacro Housing Annual Review 2015/16
What we said we would do 2014/15 What we did 2015/16
Carry on with our plan to improve online access to
service users by continuing to roll out Wi-Fi in
properties across the country.
25 sites have Wi-Fi. Areas include Worcester (NHA), Nottingham Housing, Lincolnshire (young people’s
project) and Essex. We are committed to continue this work in 2016/17. We will prioritise installations across
other locations during the year.
Continue to push forward the Service User Involve-
ment strategy to ensure that progress being made
is built upon.
Embed our approach to service design which will
ensure service users are involved at every stage.
The membership of our Community Voice Council has increased greatly during the year. We have represen-
tation from across the organisation (on average membership stands at 25 individuals). Service users and staff
have participated in person as well as linking in by video conference this provided accessibility to the forum.
A new Chair of Council was appointed following an open nomination and selection process. Our NCV
Coordinator has kept council members engaged by involving them in meetings and consultations outside of
the council arena and as such they have fed into important developments including:
• Housing annual review
• Digital transformation
• Move on strategy
• Safeguarding
• Comments and complaints
Continue updating our properties to provide
improved facilities, appliances, furniture and
decoration in line with our property standards.
Reviewed our Housing – Lettable Property Standard (including furniture and equipment) procedure.
Implemented a self-assessment tool for managers to ensure that regular audits of property standards are
carried out by the Manager. We are committed to involving service users in service reviews to ensure that
property standards are being driven up and that their views and choices have a weight in decision making,
where possible. We will continue with this throughout the year.
Provide options to independent, quality move-on
properties at affordable rents in some areas to
facilitate access to employment.
Continued development of our offer through the Nacro Homes Agency by offering over a 100 extra homes
have been provided.
Housing and wellbeing commitments
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We will work with Nacro Community Voice Council to monitor
and scrutinise our progress and performance as we work
towards achieving our local offer.
Thank you to members of the Nacro Community Voice Council
and service users from our Lincoln Services for contributing to
the development of the Housing Annual Review.
Contact us
For information about our work, contact us on:
Telephone: 020 7840 7226
Email Joanne Drew, Director of Housing:
nacro.org.uk
Registered charity no. 226171