Agenda item

In March the Panel were provided with an update on the current demands around homelessness and specifically temporary accommodation.  At the request of Panel this report has now been produced to provide an update on the specific issue of rough sleepers, included experienced demand, accommodation and support provision.

The Wellbeing Policy Development & Scrutiny Panel is asked to note the report.

The Chairman invited Mike Chedzoy (Housing Services Manager) to introduce the report.

The Panel made the following points:

The Chairman said that the refurbishment of Manvers Street Hostel was required because it was draconian and only people who were really desperate for accommodation used it.  To make individual units on that site there had to be the reduction of existing, shared, units.  The Chairman also said that at the last meeting of the Panel it was suggested there had been reduction though it was compensated with the satellite provision elsewhere.  The Chairman highlighted the fact in the report that five individuals, who want to engage with the programme, are turned away on nightly basis and those five individuals change each night.  In a week that is a considerable number of people.  The Chairman concluded by saying that appears to be considerable deficit in the provision for rough sleepers in the city with the prospect to become worse considering the difficult financial situation.

Mike Chedzoy responded that there are some people who do not want help they don't want to engage with the programme.  It is their choice and they can't be persuaded to engage.

The Chairman said that we should not just accept when people turn away help from us.  Those people should be persuaded to engage and get help.

Councillor Simon Allen said that the Council have accurate figures for rough sleepers - who they are and where they are, and we didn't know that before.  When the previous counts were done it was hard to find anybody.  Those people are coming from most complex situations and difficulties, mixture of alcohol and/or drug abuse or other problems in life.  The Council had invested in Julian House and now there are more facilities with more privacy in a more usable environment.  There are 20 beds in Manvers Street and 9 satellite beds elsewhere and everybody involved are doing a great job.  Homelessness is difficult and it is not good thing to have any homelessness anywhere.  The report on homelessness is never going to be a good report.  The Council is developing Homelessness Strategy which should be coming to the Panel in the next few months. 

The Chairman said that figures presented in the report were the worst on record though at the last meeting of the Panel it was reported there were adequate facilities to house homeless people and the problem was contained.

Some Panel Members highlighted the fact that we have a number of non-English people who are homeless, without the means to go back home, and asked if anything has been done to address that situation.  They also asked about the wheelchair friendly rooms in Dartmouth Avenue and what has been done to support homelessness in North East Somerset.

Mike Chedzoy responded (see response re: foreign homeless) that Dartmouth Avenue has two rooms accessible to wheelchair users.  The homeless people, or rough sleepers, across Bath and North East Somerset are having access to comprehensive services by calling the dedicated hotline no matter where they are. 

The Panel asked about the status of the current Homelessness Strategy.

Councillor Allen said that the current strategy will run out by the end of this year.  The new strategy will feed into the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. 

The Panel welcomed the suggestion from Councillor Allen to have draft Homelessness Strategy at one of their future meetings.

It was RESOLVED to:

1.  Note the report

2.  Receive draft Homelessness Strategy at one of the future Panel meetings.