A review of homelessness and homelessness services in Weymouth and Portland

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in the Borough of Weymouth and Portland. In particular, it focuses on: Existing levels of homelessness; The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; Current service provision for homeless people/households; Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

A survey of homelessness and homeless services in West Dorset: A way forward

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in West Dorset District Council (WDDC). In particular it focuses on: • exploring current levels of homelessness; • identifying the causes of homelessness within the local authority area; • gauging current service provision for homeless people/households; • identifying gaps in the provision of current services. In an attempt to reflect the local authority’s desire to develop a more proactive and preventative approach in addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt to ensure that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively

A review of homelessness and homelessness services in East Dorset

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in East Dorset. In particular it focuses on: - Existing levels of homelessness; - The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; - Current service provision for homeless people/households; - Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

The word on the street: a survey of the needs, attitudes and behaviour of young people in Bournemouth, 2006

In 2006, Bournemouth Youth Service, Connexions and the Bournemouth Partnership decided to carry out a survey of young people’s attitudes,opinions and behaviour so that they could improve the services they provide for young people in Bournemouth. This survey was carried out in conjunction with researchers from Bournemouth University’s Community Development, Engagement and Participation Academic Group. This survey follows two others carried out by Bournemouth Youth Service in 1997 and 2000. Sufficient similarities exist to draw broad comparisons between this data and the findings in 2000, and to gain some sense of how young people’s attitudes and behaviours have changed during this time

Responding to homelessness in North Dorset: A snapshot of current service provision and an estimate of service needs

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in NorthDorset. In particular, it focuses on: - Existing levels of homelessness; - The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; - Current service provision for homeless people/households; - Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

Seen But Seldom Heard: Creative Participatory Methods in a Study of Youth and Risk

This paper presents a discussion of the methodologies used in a small scale ‘popular education’ project involving young people in creative activities. The goal of the project is to explore their experiences and feelings about risk and safety and their ‘connectedness’ to their local community. A number of different methods are discussed as ways of empowering marginalised young people, including the use of visual methods, and new media in the form of blogs and Twitter Scripts, within an overarching participatory methodology. Arts-based and multimedia activities are powerful tools to enable young people to collectively question the nature of their historical and social situation and have the potential to raise sensitive issues, therefore, encouraging wider debate, producing new understandings, and facilitating social change. Building on insights gained in earlier research, which suggested that young people felt that they were not listened to or had enough influence in their neighbourhoods, this paper discusses the use of multimedia and creative means to develop a more accessible and effective arena in which young people can learn new skills to enable them to tell their story. In keeping with Bourdieu’s General Theoretical Framework, consideration is given to the ways in which such participatory and arts-based approaches can demonstrate value for the social and cultural capital of young people. Keywords: youth, risk, empowerment, co-production, creative media, Bourdie

Towards supporting vulnerable people : a needs survey for the Borough of Poole supporting people partnership

How do we ensure that all those who are eligible to receive supporting people commissioned services, have access to such facilities and services? Indeed, on what basis should entitlement be made? How do we identify what services to fund and not fund? What groups need newly commissioned services, and how might these services be organised? These are some of the fundamental questions that the Borough of Poole Supporting People Partnership need to answer and, as such, they have represented some of the questions that we, as a team of researchers have had to consider. This report attempts to consider the level of ‘need’ that exists within the supporting people population of groups that might require assistance in living independent and fulfilling lives. As such it makes use of range of demographic, organisational and statistical data in attempting to identify the nature of different population groups

Understanding homelessness through poetic inquiry: Looking into the shadows

Homeless people often have multiple and complex needs resulting in deep social exclusion. Homelessness research represents a contested arena and one in which it is important to place the human experience of homelessness at the heart of the process. This paper reports on the Seldom Heard Voices project which used poetic inquiry as a qualitative research tool to examine the experience of homelessness. A performance poet, a group of homeless people attending a homeless hostel, and academics from social science backgrounds worked together to explore the lived experience of homelessness creating insights into wellbeing, identity, and belonging. This paper presents an overview of the project and considers how ‘poetic’ writing can engage seldom heard voices, providing a context for understanding the lived experience of homelessness through the words of participants, alongside the reflective narrative of the poet working with them. The project methodology is considered and the themes arising from two poems and the poet’s narrative is discussed

Performance Poetry as as Method to Understand Disability

The Seen but Seldom Heard project was a performative social science (PSS) project which used performance poetry to illuminate the experiences of young people with physical impairments. Two performance poets, a group of young people with physical impairments, and academics from social science and media/communication backgrounds worked together to explore various aspects of the lived experience of disability exploring issues associated with identity, stereotypes, stigma and representation. In this article, we will present an overview of the project and consider how PSS offers a method to engage seldom heard voices, and illustrate this through two poems which shed light on the lived experience of disability. The article will consider the impact of these poems as PSS, and how this method allows the audience to develop a deeper understanding of the "lived" experience of disability and to reflect upon their own understandings of disability and discrimination