Issue - meetings

RECOMMENDED:            That the 2024-2029 Strategy is adopted and that the role of the Environment and Community Panel group “Homelessness and Housing Delivery Task Group” in overseeing the delivery of the Action Plan within the strategy is endorsed.

Reason for Decision

The Council has a statutory duty to produce a homelessness strategy (Homelessness Act 2002) setting out the issues it faces locally and what it is doing to prevent homelessness. The Council’s commitments to preventing homelessness are set out in the Corporate Plan.

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Councillor Rust presented the report which explained that all housing authorities were required by law to produce a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy once every five years. The report set out the process by which a new Homelessness & Rough Strategy had been developed and how progress would be monitored and evaluated.

Before publishing the strategy, housing authorities had the power to carry out a review of homelessness services in their district.

A Homelessness Review was carried out in the autumn/winter of 23/24, was published in April 2024, and laid the foundation for developing an effective strategy: led by data and supported by professional and lived experience. The Homelessness Review considered the current situation and analysed the reasons, causes and wider factors affecting homelessness in this area. The Homelessness Review and its findings were endorsed by the Environment and Community Panel on 9^th April 2024.

The new Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-2029 responded to the issues identified in the review and provided a framework for responding to homelessness in Borough. It replaced the 2019- 2024 strategy.  The draft strategy was considered by the Environment and Community Panel on 16 July  2024.

In presenting the report Councillor Rust confirmed she was proud to bring the report which was informed by the review of partners and people with lived experience of homelessness and rough sleeping.  It was aimed at ending homelessness person by person.  The report was written with the worst case scenario of no Government money coming forward.

The Housing Services Member re-iterated that it was a new strategy with the input from partners, and understood the views of those with lived experience, she thanked all those who had had input and the Senior Housing Manager for producing the report.

The Chair commended the work and re-iterated the thanks given for all those involved.

RECOMMENDED:            That the 2024-2029 Strategy is adopted and that the role of the Environment and Community Panel group “Homelessness and Housing Delivery Task Group” in overseeing the delivery of the Action Plan within the strategy is endorsed.

Reason for Decision

The Council has a statutory duty to produce a homelessness strategy (Homelessness Act 2002) setting out the issues it faces locally and what it is doing to prevent homelessness. The Council’s commitments to preventing homelessness are set out in the Corporate Plan.