Issue - meetings

This report looks at the activity governed by the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Act 2002 and the City of York Council’s Homelessness Strategy 2013-2018 in respect of the financial year 2017/18.  The report identifies the new duties placed on the Local Authority under the Homeless Reduction Act 2017, identifies targets and priorities for 2018/19 and incorporates the work and contribution of partner agencies in delivery of a comprehensive service to homeless households across York.

Resolved:      (i)         That the progress made by the service be noted.

(ii)        That the priorities and targets for 2018-19 as set out in paragraph 19 of the report be agreed.

Reason:         To ensure the council continues to meet the statutory duties under the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) and the Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and supports the most vulnerable in society.

The Executive Member considered a report which examined the activity governed by the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Act 2002 and the City of York Council’s Homelessness Strategy 2013-2018 in respect of the financial year 2017-18. Its primary focus was to report on prevention work, trends of statutory homelessness and rough sleepers. The report identified the new duties placed on the local authority under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and also identified the targets and priorities for 2018-19.

The Head of Housing and the Assistant Director, Housing and Community Safety, highlighted the significant achievements for 2017-18 which included:

·         Number of homeless preventions stabilised at 616 cases

·         Statutory homelessness decreased in York with number of accepted homeless households reduced to 90 (from 97 the previous year)

·         A reduction in households in temporary accommodation to 49 (target 62)

·         No families or individuals in B & B accomodation

Officers responded to queries raised by the Executive Member in relation to issues covered in the report. They advised that levels of youth homelessness had reduced as a result of the creation of a Youth Homelessness Worker who was experienced in dealing with issues for this cohort.

They advised that there was a national predicted increase in rough sleeping and the government had set a target to reduce this by 50% by 2022, York was working towards this target and a count undertaken earlier that week had identified 18 rough sleepers, which compared to 29 counted on an occasion towards the end of 2017.

They informed the Executive Member that some of the actions in the strategy were long term projects with significant resource implications. In relation to the mental health resettlement process, officers advised that they were in discussions with Tees, Esk & Wear Valley NHS Trust and they would report back to Members later in the year in relation to creating a planned path for those with mental health problems into independent living.

Officers confirmed that the refreshed Homeless Strategy, with a compressive set of actions, would be considered by theExecutive that evening and Members would be asked 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 progress made by the service be noted.

(ii)        That the priorities and targets for 2018-19 as set out in paragraph 19 of the report be agreed.

Reason:         To ensure the council continues to meet the statutory duties under the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) and the Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and supports the most vulnerable in society.