Issue - meetings

The Assistant Director of Housing & Community Safety to present a report which asks Executive to sign off the completed action plan for the 2013-18 Homeless Strategy and to approve the adoption and publication of the new 2018-23 Strategy, ‘Preventing Homelessness Together’.

Resolved:  (i)      That the completed action plan for 2013-18 be signed off.

                   (ii)      That the new Strategy for 2018-23, ‘Preventing Homelessness Together’ and action plan, which outlines the national and local context affecting and contributing to homelessness and the actions that will be taken in York to address these issues, be adopted and published.

Reason:     To comply with the legal requirement to have a Homeless Strategy, and to have plans in place to prevent and relieve homelessness, in accordance with the new duties placed on local authorities by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

The Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care presented a report which asked Executive to sign off the completed action plan for the 2013-18 Homeless Strategy and to approve the adoption and publication of the new 2018-23 Strategy (the Strategy), called ‘Preventing Homelessness Together’.

As a result of the 2013-18 strategy, statutory homelessness in York had reduced and homeless prevention remained high.  77% of the actions in the action plan had been completed or were on track, as shown in Appendix 1 to the report.  The remainder would be carried over to the new Strategy and action plan at Appendices 1 and 2 respectively.  These would focus on tackling rough sleeping and meeting the new duties under the Homeless Reduction Act 2017 to prevent and relieve homelessness. Members had the option to approve or amend the Strategy.

The Executive Member for Housing & Safer Neighbourhoods thanked officers who had prepared the Strategy, and commended it to Members.  She indicated that, as of this week, the number of rough sleepers in the city was down to 16.

Resolved:  (i)      That the completed action plan for 2013-18 be signed off.

                   (ii)      That the new Strategy for 2018-23, ‘Preventing Homelessness Together’ and action plan, which outlines the national and local context affecting and contributing to homelessness and the actions that will be taken in York to address these issues, be adopted and published.

Reason:     To comply with the legal requirement to have a Homeless Strategy, and to have plans in place to prevent and relieve homelessness, in accordance with the new duties placed on local authorities by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.