How our work is funded

Voluntary and Community Frontline Sector programme

This grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) aims to support the essential work of the voluntary and community sector to deliver a sustained reduction in homelessness and rough sleeping.

Over £7 million is being invested in a 3 year programme, from 2022 to 2025, in partnership with 3 sector experts:

• Shelter

• Homeless Link

• Housing Justice

The grant focusses support for the voluntary and community sector in 4 distinct programme areas.

1. Increasing the capacity and capability of the sector

Shelter delivers the NHAS training programme to build the capacity, skills and knowledge of a range of frontline staff and volunteers in England through training, information resources and skill development.

Shelter is working in partnership with Homeless Link to deliver a large programme of capacity building, including:

• training and resources

• communities of practice

• systems change programmes

• a leadership development programme to build the skills and knowledge of frontline staff and volunteers in England

Eligible organisations include local authorities, public authorities, advice agencies, Citizens Advice, and voluntary, community and faith-based organisations working to end homelessness and rough sleeping.

2. Delivering specific support to help frontline workers resolve individual cases

Shelter provides the expert advice service to deliver prompt and effective second-tier advice on housing, homelessness and welfare benefits. Advice is delivered by phone, webchat and digital tools to new and existing frontline audiences.

3. Enabling stronger local strategic partnerships

Homeless Link facilitates and supports joint working between the voluntary and community sector, local public bodies and local authorities to tackle local homeless challenges, using a partnership approach to address barriers in local systems.

4: Developing the faith and community sector

Housing Justice provides a small targeted programme of training and best practice support for the national night shelter network. This includes accreditation for community organisations and shelters and development of faith and community capabilities and links to statutory services.

Specialist Debt Advice Service

Shelter's Specialist Debt Advice Service is funded by the Money and Pensions Service and the Welsh Government.

The Money and Pensions Service provides £1.94 million over 3 years and the Welsh Government, provides £32,000 per year.

This funds the service to:

• provide expert consultancy advice

• produce legal and technical content

• raise awareness of debt issues in the sector

Our advisers support organisations across England and Wales, including Citizens Advice, free-to-client advice agencies, local authorities and housing associations.

Consultancy advice

We provide an accessible, responsive, expert advice service delivered by phone, webchat and an online portal.

Most enquiries are resolved within 3 days, with urgent enquiries resolved within 24 hours.

Advisers who use the service get a written response to their enquiry.

Legal and technical updates

The team develops and publishes a range of legal and technical updates. These include:

• a monthly e-bulletin

• case summaries

• technical articles

• contributions to Quarterly Account

The updates are available to e-bulletin subscribers and are published on the Shelter website.

Raising awareness

The service develops and implements a strategy to raise awareness of debt issues amongst debt advice providers.

This includes attending Money Advice Group meetings, and leading discussion forums to share good practice and plan policy initiatives. The team attends quarterly meetings with the Insolvency Service to discuss themes and trends and suggest changes to debt solutions guidance.