Shelter – lessons for the Community and not for profit sector
By John Barr- EC Candidate Community and Not For Profit

In an article in The Observer on 3 February, columnist Nick Cohen reviews the film ‘Trapped’, a grim account of one family's journey into homelessness, which was made for Shelter and can be seen on their website.

Cohen then states: “More telling than the film was Shelter's publicity. Charities normally exaggerate, making their case as strongly as they can to get the attention of government and the public. In this case, Shelter may be guilty of underestimating the potential scale of the housing crisis.”

However, we need to ask, why was Shelter underestimating the potential scale of the housing crisis? Could it be due to the need to compete for statutory funding resources? Could it be due to the need to win government contracts?

The reality is that Charities like Shelter now have to compete with organizations like Women’s Aid and law centres to provide advice services. However, the nature of funding is that organizations can no longer specialize in their own areas, but now have to provide a much broader service, which is determined by the needs of the contract. This has meant, that specialist services have been reduced and that the service users are the losers

What organization is going to actively campaign against local or national government, when they are dependent upon them for funding? This has resulted in the advocacy role once played by charities being reduced with a consequence that many of the most vulnerable people in society no longer having a voice.

Unite as the leading union for Community and not for profit staff needs to campaign against the use of contracting, as it both undermines our members terms and conditions and leaves those without a voice even more vulnerable. This is why we must support our members in Shelter.