Agenda item

The Deputy Director - Housing, Environment, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Policy and Strategy Manager (Housing) and Service Manager - Homeless Prevention and Housing Allocations presented the proposed Hillingdon Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Review and Strategy 2019 – 2024.

It was reported that local authorities had a statutory duty to publish a Homelessness strategy every five years. A further review had been carried out due to the changes in homelessness legislation implemented by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2019 (HRA). The Rough Sleeper Strategy published in August 2018 required local authorities to update and make all strategies available by winter 2019. Prior to a wider consultation exercise, the draft Homelessness strategy had been published to the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Social Services, Housing and Public Health. It was intended that the policy documents would be considered by Cabinet in December 2019.

The report and policy document set out the key challenges in Hillingdon relating to homelessness and rough sleeping. It explained how the Council would work with partner agencies to prevent homelessness, provide access to suitable accommodation and support homeless households.

It was highlighted that the number of rough sleepers at Heathrow remained high and the HRA had resulted in an increase in staff workloads. It was noted that there were variety of reasons that caused homelessness including family eviction, domestic abuse and the end of assured shorthold tenancies. A variety of statistics around the loss of last settled homes, support needs and homeless placements by other boroughs was explained to the Committee.

The Committee heard about the six priorities of the new strategy including the ability for residents to access housing advice, prevention, eliminating the need to sleep rough in Hillingdon, increasing the availability of affordable housing, managing temporary accommodation and focussing on partnership arrangements.

The Committee was keen to ensure that there was enough refuge in the Borough for people escaping domestic abuse and it was considered that the assistance provided to other boroughs needed to be applied fairly. The Council’s homelessness forum had involvement with local church groups and other community organisations and their input was key.

It was confirmed that the Winter Night Shelter would be in place to support rough sleepers and the Council had been successful in receiving cold weather funding to help pay for bed and breakfasts.  These initiatives would help to identify rough sleepers and provide quick accommodation. Although the levels housing for asylum seekers were high in Hillingdon, it was highlighted that other boroughs experienced higher numbers.

Concerns were raised about the increase in workload and ways to mitigate this was discussed.  The Committee was informed that as the homelessness assessments were more in depth, this had resulted in a 50% increase in workload per officer.  Groups of officers were creatively used in different areas to manage workloads and services.

It was noted that affordability was a continuing issue and more had to be done in relation to registered social landlords. With domestic violence being on the rise, concerns were raised about the availability of refuges to support vulnerable people. Concerns were also raised in relation to the need to support “invisible homelessness people” and those that did not engage with services.

Although there were no specific key performance indicators in the strategy, it was noted that this area would be defined and developed. The action plan would introduce regular monitoring arrangements and targets to reduce the use of bed and breakfasts to 130 and have six new HMO pathways. Improving the plan with targets was welcomed by Members.

An emphasis was placed on the need to review rough sleep at Heathrow Airport and progressing this matter with the appropriate bodies responsible for this area to resolve the issue. 

Members thanked officers for the comprehensive, full and easy to read report.

Members agreed the following comments to be submitted to Cabinet:

The Social Care, Housing and Public Health Policy Overview Committee thanked officers for their work and hoped that the suggestions and comments made would be taken into consideration by officers.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the report and agreed the above comments for Cabinet.