Our Director of Care and Support, Martyn Hale, helps lead national fight against homelessness

Our Director of Care and Support Martyn Hale has been appointed for a crucial role in the fight to tackle homelessness.

Martyn has become chair of a sub group of the Homelessness Steering Group for the National Housing Federation (NHF).

It means that Martyn is now a major player in running a group of housing providers who work together with local authorities to tackle homelessness.

It follows on from a winning project Martyn helped create in July to help rough sleepers get ID and a bank account by providing them with an address via a virtual locker. The scheme, which won a competition at the Housing 2019 conference, the biggest in Europe, is now being developed and will be trialled by Greater Manchester Homes.

Martyn said: “I am very pleased to have been asked to chair this hugely important group.

“Homelessness is a national scandal and as Citizen we have a chance to support the work nationally of partners and encourage other like-minded providers to get involved.

“Figures from the NHF show that the total number of rough sleepers has increased by 165% since 2010, the number of homeless acceptances has risen by 42%, and over 120,000 children live in temporary accommodation.

“We now have a part to play and sometimes we need to step outside of our comfort zone and seek to influence and find solutions to the most difficult of housing challenges.

“As chair of the sub group I am very much looking forward to ensuring registered providers engage more widely and support Council partners to relieve homelessness.

“The NHF is supporting some new innovative approaches and it’s great to be a part of this.”

For more information visit the NHF’s website on homelessness.

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