Building capacity in the homelessness sector
People working in housing and homelessness face significant challenges. In front-line services and leadership roles, staff and volunteers need a combination of practical skills and knowledge of legal processes.
Shelter and Homeless Link combine their understanding of the needs of the sector to help around 40,000 professionals each year. Together, they produce training and resources to suit everyone, from people starting a new career to experienced managers and CEOs.
Practical support and career skills
Homeless Link's learning and development resources support people working in the homelessness sector to develop their skills. This includes support for sector leaders and front-line staff.
Practical information and support are provided through a leadership programme, webinars and online communities, best practice guides, and podcasts.
Leadership Support
Homeless Link helps to build a dynamic, resilient and sustainable homelessness sector. Training and connecting leaders is key to delivering change.
Aspiring and experienced CEOs, senior leaders, and managers can connect with others in the sector and get support through Homeless Link's leadership programme.
Delegates can combine masterclasses, workshops, and access to an online community of peers to develop their leadership skills. Action learning sets bring together groups of people who face similar challenges to solve them together.
Find out more about Homeless Link's Leadership support.
Webinars, bitesize learning, and online communities
Experts share their knowledge with homelessness practitioners in live webinars on topics such as communication and leadership.
Register for a live webinar in Homeless Link's upcoming events.
Bitesize learning modules help frontline staff learn more about topics like grant funding, safeguarding, and strengths-based practice. Designed to fit around a busy schedule, the bitesize series consists of video presentations by experts in their field.
Online community of practice sessions provide a reflective space for people to meet to discuss topics like trauma-informed care, rough sleeping outreach, and supporting people with complex needs.
Find webinar recordings, bitesize learning, and more in Homeless Link's Knowledge Hub.
Skills Framework
Frontline staff, team leaders, and people interested in a career in the homelessness sector can find more information about roles and career development to help attract, hire, and retain staff.
Find out more about Homeless Link's Skills Framework.
Podcasts
Homeless Link's Going Beyond podcast is dedicated to people working in the homelessness sector.
Each episode within the four seasons is dedicated to a different topic. Subjects covered so far include:
relationship-based approaches to support
effects of working in homelessness on wellbeing
how to support people with complex health and care needs
how to support people who use drugs or alcohol
Start listening to the series from the start of episode one, or dive straight to a topic that interests you on Homeless Link Going Beyond.
All the Going Beyond podcasts are also available on Spotify and Apple.
Understanding housing and homelessness
People who work in housing and homelessness need to understand how the law applies to the people they help. Homelessness law can be complicated, and can change overnight.
Shelter's partnership with Homeless Link gives frontline staff and volunteers access to up-to-date training and resources that use clear language and explain complex processes.
Training and events
Shelter's expert trainers have developed face-to-face training, webinars, and e-learning for people working in housing and homelessness.
Suitable for housing advisers, community volunteers, and local authority staff, Shelter's training explains how legal frameworks underpin the homelessness sector and how the law applies in practice.
Shelter events provide an opportunity to hear from experts in the field, and meet other housing professionals. They cover topics like health and housing, and people released from prison.
Find out more about Shelter's training and events.
Online information and resources
Shelter and Homeless Link both produce online information to help people working in housing and homelessness.
Shelter Legal is an essential guide to housing law and related topics for professionals. It contains references to case law, legislation, and guidance for people who need them.
Shelter also has practical resources like interactive tools and guides covering topics such as eligibility for homeless assistance, and the breathing space debt scheme.
Find Shelter's online resources for professionals.
Homeless Link's Knowledge Hub has practice guidance, policy briefings, and research papers on homelessness and related issues.
Find out more on Homeless Link's Knowledge Hub
Expert housing advice
Shelter advisers help housing and homelessness professionals, giving advice on legal duties and how to approach tricky cases.
Find out more about Shelter's Expert Housing Advice Service.
Systems change and learning pathways
Shelter works with local authorities and other homelessness organisations to implement systems change.
Systems change seeks to understand the root causes of homelessness. It means recognising the structures and processes that hinder positive change.
Find out more about how systems change helps organisations tackle homelessness.