Keep Warm and Carry On! Voluntary Sector Summit

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Information about Portsmouth’s “Keep Warm and Carry On!” programme, which is being supported by the Department of Health’s Warm Homes Healthy People fund.  

The Aim of this fund is:-

To support local authorities in partnership with their local community and voluntary sector and statutory organisations to reduce the levels of deaths and morbidity in their local authority that are due to vulnerable people living in cold housing in the coming winter.

Keeping warm in winter is a major issue; as many as 200 people die every day in the UK in the winter months as a result of cold weather.  The problem is at its worst in cold homes and in Portsmouth 26.5% of the housing stock does not meet the decent homes standard due to 'insufficient thermal comfort'.  Help is out there and it's important to support people to access that help.

A summit is planned for voluntary and community sector organisations who work very closely with individuals in communities most at risk from the effects of the cold weather and its implications for their health.

This will be held on Tuesday 31^st January in the Lord Mayors banqueting room, Portsmouth Guildhall, from 9.30am – 3.30pm. 

The key-note speaker will be Carl Petrokofsky, Specialist in Public Health for the Department of Health in the South East.  Carl has worked across the South East of England for some 30 years and has extensive experience in public health, policy development and implementation of strategic change, in particular on developments and initiatives to improve the health of older people.  Recent areas of responsibility have focussed on working with other government departments, older persons groups, the NHS and Local Authorities to address underlying causes of ill-health and disease, especially on preventing falls and fractures and housing and the built environment. Carl is now leading work for the DH on Heatwaves and Cold Weather plans. 

The summit will also include presentations from PCC Directors Margaret Geary and Paul Edmondson-Jones.

The summit will bring together statutory and voluntary agencies that support the most vulnerable residents and will provide opportunities to share information about current and new resources. 

A workers information pack will be developed, in stages over the next few weeks, to build up a resource of information to ensure that vulnerable residents and those supporting them are aware of the support available and how to access it. The information pack will be also available on line and regularly updated for use in future winters.  Stage 1 of the pack will be available at the summit to share current information and stage 2 will be developed following the workshop activities at the summit and the findings from further audit activities.

If your work includes addressing issues of winter warmth or fuel poverty, or you work with vulnerable people and you would like to attend the summit please contact Rosie Penlington on 023 9268 8938 or email voluntary.sector@portsmouthcc.gov.uk  by Monday 23rd January to reserve a place.  Numbers are limited and early booking is advisable. Once your booking is confirmed an agenda will be sent to you. They would also like to include information about services available in the information pack so if you have information or promotional material that will be useful for the pack get in touch and let them know.

As well as the Voluntary Sector Summit Keep Warm & Carry On! has a number of other elements which will help provide support during the cold weather.  More information will be available on the day for delegates but briefly these are:

A small grants programme, led by Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Community Foundation, which Voluntary and statutory organisations will be able to refer vulnerable individuals into. The programme will provide small grants of up to £125 to local vulnerable people who are struggling to keep warm.

Emergency repairs programme, which builds on the current programme providing remedial repairs prior to major work being undertaken. This will include the private rented sector where engagement is a particular challenge.

Mobile phone application. This is currently being developed to provide stand alone information on energy reduction and fuel poverty. The app will be made available to external web sites for all local organisations that provide information to vulnerable people.

A Citizens Advice Bureau Fuel Poverty Advisor, who will be available to provide advice for the three months of the project,