Camden Homelessness Forum
Sadly from the beginning of April 2008, I shall be moving on from Voluntary Action Camden and the Homelessness Forum. In the two years that I have been post, I have worked towards consolidating the strong foundations of the Forum through increased levels of membership and the development of better member services.
Working in partnership with Council officers, the CHF has been involved in the
- Implementation of the Hostels Pathway
- Review of Camden's Homelessness Strategy
- Coordination of consultation events with hostel residents around health services and the Hostels Pathway Review
The CHF has also sought to highlight and showcase issues that are of importance to its voluntary sector members. This has included:
- Camden Starter Pack schemes for clients being resettled
- The availability of Housing Options Information for advisors
- Camden's Local Area Agreement and the impact on Supporting People providers
Aside from the Camden Homelessness Forum, there is also the Hostel and Day Service Provider's Forum and the SUN Network which is specifically for clients within Camden. Whilst the recruitment of a new worker for the CHF takes place, please see below for details of each Forum and who to contact.
CHF
The Camden Homelessness Forum (CHF) provides an opportunity for all agencies and individuals who work with or have experience of homelessness to get together to share information, develop best practice and become better informed about current policy developments happening in Camden.
CHF meetings are well attended by both statutory and voluntary sector agencies and normally consist of presentations from CHF members and outside agencies with Question and Answer sessions.
Meetings take place four times a year, every 3 months, and are held at the offices of Voluntary Action Camden. These meetings are open to all, but current and ex service users will have your fares reimbursed (keep your receipts)
If you wish to become involved with CHF or simply want to know more, please contact chf@vac.org.uk
Dates for 2008
Wednesday 5th March 10 - 12.30
Tuesday 3rd June 10 - 12.30
Tuesday 9th September at 10 - 12.30
Thursday 4th December at 10 - 12.30
All meetings are held on the 1st Floor of VAC offices.
SUN (Service User Involvement Forum)
The SUN is a network for current and ex-homeless service users within Camden. This group meets every 6 weeks and seeks to discuss, inform and influence the development of policy in Camden which will affect homeless people and the services they receive. By providing members with the opportunity to express their views, the SUN seeks to become a strong collective voice of clients across Camden.
If you are interested in joining, or wish to know more, please get in touch with the Kirsty-Therese McCarthy, the Chair of the Camden Homelessness Forum on kt_mac31@yahoo.co.uk <mailto:kt_mac31@yahoo.co.uk>
Hostel and Day Service Providers Forum (HDF)
The (HDF) meets every 2 months and is a network specifically for agencies providing services to single homeless clients. The meeting is member issue led and hosted by different member organisations. The meeting is Chaired by Homeless Link and coordinated by the CHF.
If you are interested in knowing more about the HDF, please contact Caitriona Carney on caitriona.carney@homelesslink.org.uk <mailto:caitriona.carney@homelesslink.org.uk>.
I would also just like to say a big thank you to the Camden Homelessness Forum Steering Group members, who have always been very supportive of the work of the CHF.
Carlita McKnight
Homelessness Development Worker
Page last updated: July 1, 2008
