Past Crisis conferences
Crisis conference 2012
Ending homelessness: beyond 2012
Wednesday 2 May 2012, Clifford Chance, Canary Wharf.
This conference took a step back and consider how best those working to end homelessness can come together to meet the challenges of 2012 and beyond. Chaired by Jackie Long, Channel 4 News Social Affairs Editor, speakers included:
- Jack Dromey MP, Shadow Housing Minister
- Lord Richard Best OBE, President of the LGA
- Roger Wilshaw, Deputy Director for Homelessness and Support, DCLG
- Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive, Crisis
- Stephen Gilbert MP, CLG Select Committee
- Emily Ackroyd, Deputy Director for Social Justice, DWP
- Alex Bax, CEO, The London Pathway
- Alastair Cameron, CEO, Scottish Churches Housing Action
You can still download a full programme for the day, as well as the workshop presentations.
Film
At the conference we showed a short film which, told through two personal stories, shows the economic downturn and cuts to welfare and support services mean more and more people are losing their homes.
This film also formed part of our No One Turned Away campaign
Workshops
Workshops throughout the day showcased and examined successful examples of provision, as we examined what practical steps can be taken to help people break out of homelessness. The presentation slides are available below:
- A. Welfare Reform and Universal Credit
Cathy Payne, Deputy Head of Housing, DWP - B. The future of social enterprise in the homelessness sector
Freya Powell, Manager, Crisis 3xE Network
Linda McGowan, Director of Strategic Development, Create Foundation - C. Supporting vulnerable A2s
Alicja Falska and Justyna Chromiec, A10 Job Coaches, Crisis - D. Working in partnership to support homeless people into work
Debbie Hilton, Director, CrisisSkylight
Michael Fothergill, Project Manager, Crisis Welfare Network
Tina Maynard, PArtnership Manager, City Job Centre Plus - E. Working with the PRS to tackle youth homelessness
Bridget Young, Private Renting and Housing Development Officer, Crisis - F. Effective health care for homeless people: how can services dedicated to providing it survive and develop?
Dr Tim Robson, GP at Meadowell General Practice for the homeless, Watford - G. No Second Night Out: lessons from London and Liverpool
Petra Salva, Director, No Second Night Out, London
Anne Doyle, Homelessness Strategy Manager, Liverpool City Council - H. Making the case for your services
Simon Hughes, Area Manager for Hackney, Harringey and Enfield
Crisis conference 2011
Welfare or unfair: will the reforms work for homeless people?
The Crisis conference was on Tuesday 21 June at the Arlington Conference Centre in London.
With the Work Programme creating a huge shift to the way the homelessness sector will support people into employment, cuts to housing benefit already starting to bite, a massive reform of the welfare system and the introduction of Universal Credit on the horizon, and with the Coalition Government introducing a range of other reforms, this Crisis conference discussed what these changes mean for homeless people and the agencies that work with them.
With chairing by Nick Timmins (Financial Times), speakers on the day included:
- Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP (Minister for Employment),
- Karen Buck MP (Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform)
- Dame Anne Begg MP (Chair of Work and Pensions Select Committee)
- Dave Simmonds OBE (Chief Executive, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion)
- Kirsty McHugh (Chief Executive, Employment Related Services Association)
- Keith Faulkner CBE (Chairman, Working Links)
- Roger Wilshaw (Deputy Director for Homelessness and Supporting People, DCLG)
As well as hearing from the experts, there was the opportunity to learn from other organisations about their ways of working and how they are responding to the changes.
Media reports of the conference
The Crisis conference, Welfare or Unfair: will the reforms work for homeless people, added fuel to an ongoing debate about the government’s welfare to work programme in the Guardian. Crisis Chief Executive Leslie Morphy argued that the veneer of the 'Big Society' is cracked, and said that: “Both the process and the result [of the work programme] have been bad for us but it will also, I am sure, be bad for homeless people. How will they get the tailored support they need? Too many organisations that have the expertise to help are not involved, the price paid to those that are is too low, and all this against the background of a very difficult labour market.”
Read more in the Guardian and the Guardian's Patrick Butler’s Cuts Blog.
Crisis Conference 2009
The Crisis Conference 2009 was a great success with Shadow Housing Minister, Grant Shapps MP, committing to change the way Local Housing Allowance is paid to tenants. Also new guidance was issued to the 200 Private Rented Sector Access Schemes across the country.
Grant Shapps MP commits to change for Housing Allowance
Crisis welcomed Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP's commitment to change the way Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is paid to tenants. LHA was being paid directly to the tenant, but Crisis' research showed that this was causing an increase in tenants falling into arrears and terminations of tenancies. Crisis had been calling for tenants to be given the choice over whether LHA payments are made directly to the tenant or to their landlord.
New standards for private rented sector schemes
The 200 UK private rented sector (PRS) access schemes that protect people from homelessness by helping them access the private rented sector were praised and issued with new standards: Key Principles for Private Rented Sector Access Schemes. The principles were drawn up by Crisis in consultation with Government, landlords and tenants.
Crisis Conference 2008
Highlights of the conference, where Homelessness Minister Iain Wright delivered the Prime Minister's pledge to end rough sleeping by 2012.
There was a keynote address from then Shadow DWP Minister, Chris Grayling MP, along with presentations on:
- Housing and worklessness
- A review of conditionality
- Reform of housing benefit
- The Private Rented Sector as a platform for employment
- How to get homeless people into work
- Tackling social exclusion
- Welfare and housing reform
Crisis Conference 2007
Homelessness & Social Exclusion
10 years on, but what next for the next decade?
The 2007 Crisis Conference on homelessness and social exclusion provided a unique opportunity to step back and celebrate what had worked, analyse what hadn't, to pinpoint where more action is needed and to look ahead to the next 10 years.
A range of high profile speakers from across Government, local authorities, the Opposition, academia, practitioners, the homelessness sector and people who have themselves been homeless contributed to the day.
Crisis Innovation Fairs
Between 1999 and 2006 Crisis organised an Innovations Fair. It followed a day long programme to discover and explore projects which tackle homelessness by reintegrating people into mainstream society, with thought-provoking examples of best practice from a variety of sectors.
Crisis Innovations Fair 2006
Fighting Disadvantage through Learning & Skills
More than 130 delegates attended the Crisis Innovations Fair 2006 in Central London to debate the issues and make the case for learning and skills being key to tackling homelessness and the disadvantages faced by homeless people and other socially excluded groups.
The day, chaired by Anthony Lawton, Chief Executive of Centrepoint, and featuring a full programme of recognised speakers was a huge success and helped demonstrate the work going on to provide links between the Voluntary, Corporate, Educational and Government sectors already in place and the need for further thought and development.
We took a break from holding the Innovations Fair in 2005
Crisis Innovations Fair 2004
Read the Conference Report (PDF 211k).
In 2004, the Crisis Innovations Fair: From homelessness to loneliness: social exclusion in the 21st century, explored how we can build social capital within the homelessness sector.
Crisis Innovations Fair 2003
Read the Conference Report (PDF 141k).
In 2003, the Crisis Innovations Fair: Compassion or Coercion? explored the highly topical and complex issues of crime, anti-social behaviour and homelessness.