Agenda item

Members of the King’s Lynn Area Consultative Committee have been invited to attend the meeting for this item.

Members of the King’s Lynn Area Advisory Committee had been invited to attend the meeting for this item of business.

The Housing Services Manager provided an update on homelessness and rough sleepers.  He informed the Panel that the Council had a statutory requirement to conduct a rough sleeper count on an annual basis and the last count had taken place in November 2016.  The count had identified 42 rough sleepers, which was a huge increase compared to previous years when there had only been three or four.  He explained that the figures had been checked and information had been provided by other agencies and the figure of 42 was correct.

An analysis of people on the list had been carried out and information gathered as appropriate.  People were sleeping rough on Council and privately owned land and it was happening in the rural areas as well as in the Town Centres.  The Housing Services Manager explained that, due to the increase in the amount of rough sleepers, a problem had been identified and work would now be carried out by the Council, in partnership with other organisations, to look at ways to decrease the amount of people sleeping rough.

The Housing Services Manger explained that there were some common characteristics of the people who were sleeping rough.  He explained that 80% had mental health issues or complex needs and some had problems with drug and alcohol misuse.  In some cases tenancy arrangements had failed, which had made subsequent housing choices hard.  The Housing Services Manager explained that some people simply did not want to engage or receive help and assistance.

The Housing Services Manager explained that the Council needed to look at what they could do within their limited resources.  He explained that it was important to work in partnership with others such as the police and public health.  The Housing Services Manager explained that the problem was apparent across the whole of Norfolk.  The Housing Services Manager explained that it would be a challenge to deal with issues and there was not an outreach service available.  Work was ongoing to determine if it would be achievable to commission an outreach service and what resources would be required.  

The Chairman thanked the Housing Services Manager for the updated and invited questions and comments from the Panel, as summarised below.

Councillor Tyler asked what the Council’s statutory obligations were in terms of homelessness.  The Housing Services Manager explained that the team worked within the Homelessness Legislation and had a duty to try and prevent homelessness.  Help was provided to those outside of the statutory framework where possible to try and prevent them from becoming a priority need.  The Housing Services Manager responded to a further question from Councillor Tyler and explained that on private land the owner was responsible for rough sleepers; however the Council would assist if possible.  On Council owned land, the Council would need to look at the circumstances and follow the necessary procedure for unauthorised encampments which would move people on, although it was acknowledged that this would not necessarily resolve the problem.

Councillor Mrs Westrop asked if the introduction of Universal Credit could cause problems and the Housing Services Manager commented that he felt that it would.  He explained that the Council would look at other Local Authorities who had already introduced Universal Credit and the impact it had.

The Housing Services Manager responded to further questions from Councillor Westrop regarding a dual diagnosis service and how rough sleepers could become victims of crime.  The Housing Services Manager explained that the lack of a dual diagnosis service was a problem and investigations were ongoing to look at potential funding which could be available to assist with commissioning additional services.

The Housing Services Manager commented that the increase in rough sleepers could be due to the increase in successful closure orders used by the Police and Anti-Social Behaviour Team and ways to work with the Police and the Anti-Social Behaviour Team to identify potentially vulnerable people could be looked at.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community, Councillor Lawrence explained that a lot of work had been carried out to look at how rough sleeping could be tackled.  He thanked all the officers involved and asked the officers present at the meeting to pass on thanks to the rest of the Team.  The Portfolio Holder referred to Purfleet Trust, which was the only local homelessness charity in King’s Lynn.  He felt that they did a fantastic job within their limited resources.  The Portfolio Holder acknowledged that there were some people who did not want help and would not engage, but if they did this would be the first step to getting on the right track.  The Portfolio Holder informed those present that over the Christmas period several beds had been made available and other arrangements had been put in place, however, not one person had made use of the facilities provided over the Christmas period.

In response to a question from Councillor Bubb, the Housing Services Manager explained that the majority of people sleeping rough were from the local area and one third were female and there was a variety of age ranges.

The Housing Services Manager explained that the Council would continue to publicise what help was available and encourage people to make contact with the Council at the earliest opportunity.  The Council aimed to prevent homelessness before it was an issue.

In response to a question from the Chairman, Councillor Sampson, the Housing Services Manager explained that homelessness often occurred because private sector tenancies had ended.  He explained that the Council used the private rented sector sometimes, but it was in high demand and competitive which made it harder to assist people with private sector tenancies.  The Housing Services Manager also referred to the recent Government White Paper and the implications from this would be investigated.

Councillor Smith commented that sometimes people asked him how they could help people who were homeless or sleeping rough.  The Housing Services Manager encouraged people not to give money to beggars and referred to a recent campaign in which individuals were encouraged to donate to the Purfleet Trust instead.  The Housing Services Manager also advised not to approach people who were sleeping rough, instead a form could be filled out via the Council’s website to report a rough sleeper.

The Housing Services Manager responded to a further question from Councillor Smith and explained that there was pressure on social housing and it was important for the Council to promote a supply of new housing in the area.  The Council were looking at several innovative ways to boost the housing supply in the area.

Councillor Westrop referred to females who were sleeping rough and the risk of violence and exploitation.  She suggested that the Council engage with the Pandora Project.  The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community explained that the Council did work with various charities and organisations including Purfleet Trust and the Benjamin Foundation which helped young people.

The Vice Chairman, Councillor Bambridge thanked the officers for the report and the work carried out in this area.  She commented that she had requested for the item to be considered at the meeting and asked if any other charities had been looked at beyond the ones that the Council already engaged with such as the YMCA and the Salvation Army.  She commented that there may be other ways that organisations could work together.

The Chief Executive commented that rough sleeping was only one part of dealing with homelessness issues and the Housing team and Customer Information Centre worked hard to assist people and try and prevent homelessness.  He commented that it was clear that Universal Credit would have an impact and this was apparent from the other Local Authorities where this had already been introduced.  He explained that the Council would work with other Local Authorities and look at lessons that could be learnt before Universal Credit was rolled out in this area.  The Chief Executive welcomed any extra funding which could be available from Government and explained that it was likely that the Council would have to bid for any funding.  The Panel was informed that the Council was eighth in the Country in terms of rough sleepers per population and this may assist with access to funding.

The Chief Executive referred to comments made on how local people could assist and he explained that people could volunteer at one of the charitable organisations.

RESOLVED: (i) The report and comments made by Members were noted.

(ii) That further updates would be presented to the Panel as appropriate and Members of the King’s Lynn Area Consultative Committee would be invited to future meetings of the Panel where issues regarding homelessness were discussed.