Minutes:
The Corporate Director of Central Services began by discussing the challenges local authorities faced regarding homelessness, highlighting a reduction in private rental accommodation, and increasing unaffordability. He emphasised the difficulty for non-priority individuals, often single people, to access affordable housing and the Council’s reliance on the voluntary sector i.e. organisations such as Trinity and Thames Reach for support. The Select Committee heard that the Council had been working successfully in partnership with Trinity for a number of years.
Carys Hedley, Director of Services at Trinity, addressed the Select Committee detailing Trinity’s provision of 231 supported spaces and 41 long-term unsupported accommodation places in Hillingdon. She mentioned the support offered to families fleeing war and the reconnection service available to assist with tenancy sustainment.
Members heard that Trinity worked closely with the Council and most of the referrals they received came from the local authority. Trinity had been experiencing considerable challenges in recent years, particularly in relation to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. It was now cheaper for people to stay in Trinity accommodation than move into the private rental sector. This was having a significant impact, and the service was becoming stagnant; people were ready to move on but were unable to afford private rentals therefore had nowhere to go. At times, people were offered accommodation outside of the Borough, but they were often reluctant to move away from a familiar area and their support network in Hillingdon. Another concern raised related to the pressure from the number of families and single homeless individuals housed in hotels.
The Select Committee was informed that the current supported housing offered floating support but did not have staff on site full time. Many of the referrals received were from those with complex needs including drug, alcohol and mental health needs. Trinity therefore planned to create a new service offering a specialist housing programme with full-time live-in support, in addition to the supported housing currently provided. However, it was acknowledged that this was extremely challenging given the lack of housing stock in the Borough.
Councillors sought further clarification regarding the nature of the specialist housing offer. It was explained that the plan was for this housing to assist in addressing the need for supported housing with on-site support for individuals with complex needs, including drug, alcohol, and mental health issues.
Members enquired about the impact of other boroughs placing residents in Hillingdon and vice versa. It was confirmed that Trinity prioritised Hillingdon residents but sometimes accepted others due to lack of suitable referrals. The difficulty in encouraging residents to accept housing offers outside their familiar borough was also highlighted.
The Select Committee sought to understand the processes of working with the Council and how to improve them. The strong relationship between Trinity and the rough sleeper team was highlighted but it was noted that there were challenges such as perceived lack of empathy from housing officers, communication issues, and the intimidating environment of the Civic Centre. A rotating system for housing officers to avoid burnout, retraining on language used with clients, and creating a more welcoming environment at the Civic Centre were suggested. It was noted that a rota system to ensure housing officers were not always working in a client-facing role would be beneficial. It was also recommended that staff receive further training regarding the use of appropriate language when dealing with people seeking housing support; these individuals were often in a desperate situation, and it was very difficult for them to hear that they were not considered a priority.
Members acknowledged the need for better systems and technology for case handovers and welcomed suggestions for improving the Civic Centre environment. The Director of Services at Trinity recommended that security staff be trained to be more approachable and friendly when clients presented for support with housing matters. It was suggested that plants would make the environment appear more welcoming as would smiling friendly staff. A family-friendly environment with sofas and toys for the children was also suggested.
The Select Committee sought further information regarding the support for tenants to sustain tenancies. The importance of correct referrals in the first place and comprehensive support to assist clients to live independently and prevent a cycle of homelessness was affirmed.
In response to Members’ concerns regarding safeguarding young people, it was confirmed that Trinity conducted individual risk assessments and worked closely with local services to ensure support and safety. If young people were considered too high risk, it was unfortunately not possible to provide housing for them.
Councillors enquired about the impact of asylum seekers in hotels on homelessness. Members heard that Trinity predicted worsening conditions due to quick eviction notices from hotels which was adding to the street homelessness problem. It was noted that the Home Office’s strategy to accelerate asylum claims had led to a high number of single, non-priority individuals needing housing.
Members addressed the empathy factor and staff turnover in housing teams. To safeguard the mental health of staff, the Director of Services at Trinity recommended well-being measures, such as regular team meetings where staff could discuss difficult cases, flexible working hours, ‘double up working’ for challenging cases, away days, regular annual leave, and enforced rest periods to ensure staff members got the respite they needed.
The Corporate Director acknowledged the challenge for officers of not having immediate housing solutions for evicted individuals and emphasised the need for a strong prevention strategy and a healthy supply of affordable housing. The Council was working towards this, but it was proving very challenging. With regard to support for officers, Members were informed that the Council had invested more resources to create a wellbeing room for staff. Case work support supervision had also been introduced. Improvements were being made but there was still a long way to go. It was confirmed that workforce planning and development was a key part of future plans, but it was acknowledged that recruiting and retaining staff was challenging.
Councillors discussed the mental health of housing staff and the “perfect storm” of reliance on affordable private rented accommodation. The Corporate Director agreed on the importance of good communication and outlined plans to improve customer experience and engagement. It was noted that residents often had to call up repeatedly to request an update on their housing case which was frustrating and upsetting. The Council was working to address this – one possible solution would be for housing officers to provide residents with a weekly update. It was acknowledged that there was room for improvement, but plans were in place to achieve this.
Members raised concerns regarding the lack of empathy and judgmental behaviour of housing staff towards clients, particularly those facing domestic abuse. It was suggested that training should include input from clients themselves to help staff understand and respect the experiences of those they served.
In response to this, Trinity highlighted the benefits of hiring staff with lived experiences to ensure non-judgmental treatment. Members were informed that Trinity gathered feedback from residents through annual surveys to improve services and training, stressing fair and respectful treatment for all.
Members sought further clarification regarding the selection process for social prescribers for the July witness session, noting an apparent unexpected choice in the scoping report. It was confirmed that Democratic Services would follow this up and respond on this matter outside of the meeting.
The Chair concluded the session by thanking the attendees, with the discussion underscoring the importance of empathy, understanding, and client feedback in addressing homelessness.
RESOLVED:
That the Residents’ Services Select Committee noted the evidence heard at the witness session and sought clarification as necessary in the context of its review of Homelessness and the Customer Journey in Hillingdon.
Supporting documents:
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