The homelessness departments in Devon have developed a range of interventions that can prevent a household becoming homeless or can be used to find alternative accommodation before they become homeless. Some examples include rent deposit and guarantee schemes, mediation, landlord negotiation, and improved access to supported accommodation. The importance of early intervention and proactive casework, often in conjunction with voluntary sector partners, is crucial to preventing homelessness.

More detail about the types of homelessness prevention can be found in the report Homelessness Prevention in Devon 2005. This report was written as a result of an information collection exercise and a meeting of the homelessness prevention staff across Devon in October 2005.

This report makes a series of recommendations about how we can work together in Devon in order to improve homelessness prevention services across the county. These recommendations are summarised below, follow the links to find out what progress has been made against each recommendation.

• Developing better communication through e mail forum and website

• Joint training and events

• Joint commissioning of services

• Recording homelessness prevention BVPI 213 information consistently across the county