DDN March 2023

‘It’s about having a safe space, not just a roof’

ddn magazine march 2023Soaring rents, stagnant rates of housing benefit, and many  more families facing homelessness. The investments in the drug strategy and rough sleeping strategy are a vital intervention but  we need to heed Crisis’ call for a more preventative homelessness  system (p15). There’s a key role for drug and alcohol workers here  in making the integrated care systems a reality, right from the  commissioning stage, so in this issue we’ve had a look at some  of the excellent work going on around the country to address homelessness and the many complexities that relate to it.

It’s all about having a safe space, and not just a roof over your head. And that’s where all those different elements of support  are so important, whether they offer a refuge from abusive relationships, a chance to break with a compulsive behaviour such  as gambling, or a chance to detox or stabilise.

These are, of course, demanding roles – and you need to be confident as well as qualified to work well with such diverse tasks and specific issues that have a direct bearing on someone’s health  and wellbeing. It’s not the situation to take a guess. So here’s an  interesting question: has your training and  professional development suffered at all  since the pandemic (p16-17)? Have a read  and let us know because we’re looking at  careers in our next issue. Are you getting the support you need?

Read the March issue as an online magazine or download the PDF here

Claire Brown Editor of DDN Magazine

Claire Brown, editor

Please send your letters and comment to claire@cjwellings.com 

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