Staff who support vulnerable people to avoid homelessness are facing high levels of burnout and stress due to the overwhelming number of crisis situations they deal with, often without backup from services such as police and mental health support.
A new report published by the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee also says that many staff who support vulnerable people to avoid homelessness are themselves at risk of homelessness.
Stress at work
The Committee calls this situation ‘unacceptable’ and says the housing support workforce, who enable vulnerable people to live independently, should not be treated any less favourably than those working in health and social care.
The Committee’s report also says that staff in the industry face large levels of stress and burnout as they must deal with complex situations such as offering advice on housing legislation, welfare, mental health and substance misuse.
John Griffiths MS, Chair of the Local Government and Housing Committee, said, “Staff working in this sector do an incredible job in extremely challenging circumstances. Supporting people who might have multiple, complex issues such as mental health problems or substance misuse is no easy task, but we heard that many staff are at breaking point.
“Stress and burnout are widespread with recruitment and retention problems adding to the mounting challenges facing the sector.
Funding failure
The Committee welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment to more funding which they say will allow the Real Living Wage to be paid to housing support workers.
But many organisations in the sector told the Committee that this extra money would not cover the cost of paying their staff the Real Living Wage and that the impact of increased National Insurance contributions would have a significant effect on their budgets, even to a point where they might have to stop providing services.
The report calls on the Welsh Government to reconsider their view that their financial commitment is enough and instead they should commit to engaging more with housing support service providers and local authorities on this matter.
Cross sector collaboration
The report outlines how a lack of housing supply, as well as a lack of co-operation between different services means that individuals with complex needs are often left in unsuitable temporary housing for long periods.
Problems with sharing data between different services is a significant cause of such issues and despite some positive examples in Wales, the Committee is calling for the Welsh Government to be leading on improving collaboration between sectors.
John Griffiths MS, continued, “Today’s report also outlines the lack of communication between organisations with staff often struggling to get accurate information from social services, the police, prison and probation services just some of the examples.
“We need the Welsh Government to listen to our report and to commit to working with the sector to improve things for the staff and people bearing the brunt of the housing crisis.”
New homelessness law
Next week, the Welsh Government is expected to publish a Homelessness Bill, which is likely to include a focus on preventing homelessness.
The Bill is likely to focus on removing barriers to support and aims to make it easier for homeless people to find stable, permanent homes.
Debbie Thomas, Head of Policy at Crisis Cymru, a homelessness charity, said, “Experiencing homelessness is traumatic. Not having a stable place to call home can take a significant toll on people’s lives – including their physical and mental wellbeing – and it’s vital that people can access the support they need.
“This report emphasises that, as high numbers of people face homelessness across Wales, services are often in firefighting mode.
“If we are to move beyond this firefight, it is critical that the Welsh Government’s anticipated new homelessness legislation brings forward key changes. Through this, there is a huge opportunity to do more to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, and ensure that services are equipped to work more effectively together where people are experiencing homelessness.”
Housing support for vulnerable people Read the report