PRINCE OF Wales visits Newport today, the Homewards Newport Coalition is publishing a milestone
report addressing women’s homelessness in the city.
Newport, together with the five other Homewards locations (Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, Lambeth, Northern Ireland and Sheffield) have formed local coalitions and developed specific action plans with key focus areas which, if addressed, could put each location on a pathway to demonstrating it is possible to end homelessness. The Homewards Newport Coalition identified that women with multiple disadvantages are a priority cohort in Wales and advised that the first step in delivering change for this group would be to undertake a Newport Women’s Homelessness Joint Strategic Needs Assessment [JSNA]. The collaborative report was created by Homewards Newport Coalition members including NHS Wales, Cyfannol Women’s Aid, Newport City Council and the POBL Group. The coalition created the Women’s Working Group which has written the report, the first of its kind to focus specifically on women experiencing homelessness in the city.
It has looked at the current and future health and care needs of local women and set out opportunities and recommendations for preventing women from experiencing homelessness in Newport. The assessment represents a significant collective effort to address the issues and inequalities women face in terms of health and homelessness. It will be a key tool for supporting action planning in shaping effective local policies and the best forms of intervention to improve the lives of women in Newport. Current commitments that have been made by partners under the Newport Women’s Homelessness JSNA are:
NHS Wales has committed to funding an Early Intervention Worker, with a focus on ensuring women are able to access the right support at first point of contact. The role will allow women who are at risk of homelessness to be identified earlier and ensure they can access support faster, preventing them from reaching crisis point.
For the first time in Newport– and as a result of being brought together by Homewards – POBL, Newport City Homes and Newport City Council have committed to working together to explore introducing women specific properties to Newport. This would mean an increased supply of housing specifically for women in more areas, meaning they have more chances to access accommodation when they need it most.
The Nelson Trust has committed to providing further trauma informed approaches and training across Newport. This will ensure that professionals across a diverse range of organisations are equipped to better support individuals who have experienced trauma. This will help to prevent discrimination and poor practice in frontline services which could lead to more women being at risk of homelessness.
Women of Newport, a community-based group, will launch a brand-new photography exhibition aimed at educating and changing narratives around female homelessness in Newport. Whilst in Newport, The Prince will join a meeting of local partners who have all committed to delivering the activity identified in the Newport Women’s Homelessness JSNA and discuss how these commitments
can be built upon to help address and prevent women’s homelessness in Newport.
