A Neet project

Aiming to crack two of the public sector's greatest challenges – homelessness and the Neet issue – is daunting enough. Doing so with a multi-agency partnership spanning the sectors of local government, charity, education and housing makes the task even more ambitious. Yet a scheme in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is doing just that, combining disparate agencies to tackle housing problems while creating training for the Neets – youngsters not in education, employment or training. The Miller Road project, launched in November, brings together Cherwell district council, housing charity Southwark Habitat for Humanity (SHfH), Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, youth agency, Connexions, and social landlord the Sanctuary Group. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has granted £520,000, Sanctuary is putting in £500,000, there is also £162,000 of Local Area Agreement reward grant (government grants to high performing areas) and Cherwell put in £72,000, transferring the land to SHfH. An initial group of 10 youngsters, supported by sub-contractors and taught by a college tutor, are building 10 one-bedroom maisonettes. They work towards a national Open College Network Level 1 Award and are supported by a Connexions life skills coach. Once the training finishes in June, a second cohort of 10 start and the project finishes in January 2012. The maisonettes will be managed by Sanctuary's subsidiary, Charter Housing, and rented to young people in Banbury who are in housing need and are in work, education or training. The trainees are entitled to apply for housing if they fulfill the housing criteria. Given the number of partners, the margins for confusion are wide, but the risk is mitigated by a clear management framework. Helen Town, strategic housing officer at Cherwell district council, says: "We have a clear plan around who's responsible for monitoring the money, clear timetables and expectations." The council leads the project, playing a strategic, coordinating role and chairing the bi-monthly project board. SHfH is the developer and site manager. The college runs the construction course with Connexions providing personal support. Sanctuary secured HCA funding and its subsidiary Charter will manage the homes. The council has final say on anything from how the course is delivered to which young people are recruited. The framework, adds SHfH chief executive Susan Simmonds, means organisational responsibility is clear. For example, if a trainee is persistently late, the college deals with disciplinary issues and Connexions provides support. SHfH steps back unless there is a health and safety issue. "Those are the sorts of problems you iron out first," says Simmons, if the partnership is to run smoothly." The perennial challenge of money was eased by the fact that public funding was secured before the cuts kicked in. The project also spreads the costs across different funding pots. Another issue was drawing together diverse organisations. For example, a ward councillor might face concerns from residents about a building site full of teenagers, but those fears can be allayed by explaining the community benefits of getting youths back into training or stressing the advantages of new housing. "A scheme like this has to work for everyone," adds Town. Along with a good management and project plan, warns Town, partners must be aware of the local context that might affect success. The cultural environment in Cherwell was conducive to the partnership's success. In recent years, the council adopted a preventative approach to homelessness – rather than just tackling the crisis – so it wanted more affordable housing. It recognised the link between Neets and homelessness and had established relations with the college and Sanctuary, which manages social housing elsewhere in the area. The risk with a multi-agency project is that partners lose sight of the aims. Not at Miller Road, says Town: "You must keep young people at the heart of it; they're the most important part of the project." The recruitment of trainees, for example, was left until October, close to the launch date so the partners captured the teenagers' enthusiasm and did not leave them waiting too long to start. For all the frameworks and planning, as Helen Town says, a project like this could falter if partners lose sight of the human element. At Miller Road, the scheme is already reaping rewards. Banbury teenager, Joe Woodall, 18, was not at college or working when he heard about the project. "It's given me something to focus on and is a good opportunity for me to get into the building trade. My aim in life is to be earning a good wage, so I'm hoping to get job in construction after I've finished this course."