Agenda item

A report is attached.

Graham Sabourn, Head of Housing introduced the report covering issues of statutory homelessness and rough sleepers.

Panel members asked the following questions and raised the following points:

All Panel members thanked the officers for their work.

Councillor Hirst asked the following questions: (Officer responses shown in italics)

·  Of the 10 rough sleepers who refused accommodation, do we have enough outreach resources to reach them. The officer explained that outreach workers know the names of individuals sleeping rough, some would rather stay out than stay a hostel. Support workers offer them coffee etc.

·  How confident are you that we are aware of all rough sleepers. The officer explained that he is fairly confident and works closely with Julian House.

Councillor Craig asked the following questions:

·  When will the property upgrades become available. The officer explained that one property has come online which will be used for former homeless people. Two further schemes should be complete by the end of the financial year.

·  Should boaters be included, what have we done for them. The officer explained that boaters are self-accommodated but we do deal with them through the statutory homelessness process if boats are removed. Councillor Craig asked if the Panel could receive an update on Boaters in the future.

Councillor Davies asked the following questions:

·  Have we ever seen such an upsurge in registers of homelessness before – such as during other historic events. The officer explained that there had not been such an increase in the last 20 years.

·  Are we prepared for a potential hike in evictions over the next few months. The officer explained that there are different views on this. There are constraints in the system such as in the courts so there may not be a big bubble of evictions. We have thought about it and can use some of our learning from the pandemic and replicate some of those systems.

Councillor Dr Kumar stated that it was good to know that the number of people in temporary accommodation in BANES is lower than the national average. He asked why some people are refusing temporary accommodation. The officer explained that it is a transient group and people move on. Also some people do not want to stay in a hostel.

Councillor Bromley asked the following questions:

·  What happens when the winter shelter closes in March? The officer responded that there are a couple of months to get people into specialist accommodation.

·  Numbers of rough sleepers might go up due to the housing crises – do we have enough support workers? The officer responded that we are lucky to have specialist mental health workers.

Councillor Alison Born asked about placements with Housing First. The officer responded that there have been mixed results with Housing First. A traditional response is not to offer accommodation until there is a reasonable chance of success whereas Housing First turns that around. A range of solutions are needed, there is no single answer.

Councillor Johnson asked what the plans are post March and what the capacity is for re-housing and how much is utilized. The officer responded that the system needs to be made as efficient as possible. We are good at turnover (will get the exact figures to Panel members). Regarding post March – there are transition schemes for April. There are 38 individuals, they will be transitioned into 2 schemes. We are losing a couple of places, not a big drop. We do not believe there will be a cliff edge on 1^st April.

Councillor O Brien asked whether a physical count may need to be done each month. The officer responded that there is a physical count every month and intelligence is also used. Also, people can report rough sleepers online. We will know about the majority.

Councillor Walker asked about support for individuals needs and the next steps for those in temporary accommodation. The officer responded that the support packages are bespoke, there are personal housing plans – support workers build relationships with people and try to understand their issues. There is a solution in place for 1^st April, there will not be a cliff edge.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the report and asked for an item on this issue on an annual basis.