Agenda item

To consider and comment on the proposed strategy in advance of it being presented to the Executive. The draft strategy builds on existing successes and partnerships, offering pathways to suitable housing that can be sustained with high quality, person-centred support. Informed by consultation with partners across the sector, it will guide work in this area for the following five years. The plans seek to enlist partners, stakeholders and citizens in a plan to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.

Members considered the new draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29, ahead of it being presented to the Council Executive.

Officers were joined by the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities and Professor Nicholas Pleace of the University of York’s Centre for Housing Studies in introducing the report and responding to questions from the committee. It was noted that:

·        The strategy built on existing successes and partnerships to offer pathways to suitable housing, sustained by high-quality and person-centred support, and giving focus and structure to the range of homelessness and rough sleeping services and initiatives across York. The strategy had been developed with a range of organisations and individuals and feedback from recent consultation work had been positive.

·        A Housing First-led approach would focus on ending homelessness amongst those with high and complex needs. This population was relatively small but tended to incur the highest human and financial costs, including acute mental health problems and addiction issues, and accounted for the highest cost to local authorities, the NHS, and criminal justice.

·        This approach would focusing on making specific interventions based on individual needs, including mental health support and support with managing money, to support people to live independently. There was cross-party support for Housing First and international evidence suggested that it was highly effective at ending homelessness among its target population, as well as being cost-effective.

·        Rapid rehousing within 7-10 days would be utilised alongside Housing First. Research showed that 70% of those able to live in a tenancy with a lesser extent of floating support were in expensive tier 1 hostel accommodation; the longer people remained in a high and complex needs environment, the more likely they were to develop those needs; as such the focus was on getting people onto the right pathway as quickly as possible as a routine part of homelessness services.

·        Research demonstrated that Housing First could be done in ways which were not cost-intensive; the focus was on an ethos and operational framework which cost no more, and over time should cost less, than existing services.

·        Delivery could not happen overnight, but the emphasis was on a tailored, individual approach where triaging and rapid rehousing made homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. The potential of multiagency working with partners facing the same challenges and a boarder shift towards a community model of support were also highlighted.

·        It was an ambition to work with partners in better identifying hidden homelessness, and there was a need to expand the supply of affordable housing. Spending on temporary accommodation was relatively contained in York in comparison to some areas, while the success of a Housing First approach could potentially free more resources for prevention, which should be a focus across Council services.

·        In relation to young people, evidence suggested a challenge existed around managing the transition from being a looked-after child. A strategy was already in place for those aged 16-25, supported by Childrens’ Services and with specific protocols for care leavers, with the creation of a dedicated Ofsted-registered building included in the action plan.

·        Community enterprise models had been successful elsewhere and there was potential in exploring in exploring partnerships with local businesses including tourism. Successive administrations had found the ownership of city centre real estate by overseas pension funds a barrier to making fuller use of city centre buildings for housing. Options such as modular housebuilding and conversion of garage stock were under consideration and there were companies looking to invest.

·        The importance of building relationships of trust with people experiencing long-term homelessness was emphasised; medical provision at hostels was highlighted and it was noted that Housing First offered more intensive one-to-one support with dedicated key workers than other approaches aimed at building confidence.

·        With reference to ongoing funding, it was confirmed that ending homelessness was an administration priority, and while this work would take time, improvements should be seen year-on-year. The success of the strategy could open opportunities to reprofile elements of current spending on homelessness services.

Resolved: To support the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29 as proposed.

Reason:     To support the Council’s statutory obligation to have a homelessness strategy in place and the ambition to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.