Since 1997 there has been a growing emphasis on tackling financial
exclusion and increasing access as part of the social exclusion and
asset-based welfare agenda. There are many initiatives being taken by
government, voluntary organisations and the financial services industry
but it is disparate and as many projects are at the pilot stage there
are few evaluations.
Homeless people are extreme expressions of social
and financial exclusion and there are some initiatives addressing their
specific needs, but again learning points from these experiences are
limited and only a few have made it into the readily accessable
literature.
I would therefore welcome the opportunity to ask your readers if they
are aware of any projects that are accessible to, or directly provided
for, homeless or formerly homeless households, and whether they would
kindly provide me with any reports or anecdotal information regarding
the successes or problems of such provision. Any assistance would be
warmly appreciated.
Alison Wallace
Centre for Housing Policy
University of York
Heslington
York
UK
YO10 5DD
+44 (0) 1904 321487
