Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor John Gilbert)

Report to follow.

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor John Gilbert)

The Corporate Director (Community Services) submitted a report requesting Members to approve the Homelessness Strategy 2008 – 2013, which was provided as an appendix to the report. The report provided details of the consultation undertaken as part of the development of the strategy.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment were set out in the report as follows:

Cabinet could approve the Strategy recommended by the Steering Group.

This would allow the Council to meet the requirement to produce a Strategy by the end of July 2008 and implementation could commence.  CAB would be free to tender for advice and support services.

Cabinet could approve the Strategy subject to one or both of the following:

1.      Add commissioning specialist housing advice

2.      Delete the reference to free food for people in tenancies (so the current practice of free food for both the homeless and those in tenancies would remain)

or

Revert to the original Steering Group proposal that no free food at all should be on offer from those with Service Level Agreements

This would allow the Council to meet the requirement to produce a Strategy by July 2008 and implementation could commence.

Commissioning specialist housing advice - the action plan includes tendering contracts for Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with voluntary organisations: the total budget for such SLAs is £85,600 in 2008/9 (this does not include the funding for Portland St which comes from a separate and time limited stream of funding, though administered through an SLA with YMCA). There is no planned provision for increasing the SLA budget.

If specialist housing advice was to be commissioned, as proposed by CAB, then this will have to be addressed within the tendering exercise.  As noted above, the implication is for either a reduction in other aspects of the service, or an increase in costs. The following points should be noted:

·         The specialist housing advice that CAB propose providing is already provided by them to those on low enough incomes to qualify for Legal Aid. CAB receive funding from the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to provide this service.

·         Those on slightly higher incomes are ruled out by the LSC.

·         CAB see this specialist advice as particularly assisting those struggling with mortgage arrears.

·         Less money would be available for the provision of general housing advice and support services through other SLAs – the current SLA contracts cover services such as  helping people access private sector accommodation which prevents homelessness.

·         There are also no other local organisations that could compete for the specialist work that CAB propose.

Free food - the reference to free food for those in tenancies could be deleted. The following points should be noted:

·         Council Housing Services are experiencing problems with tenants housed from Homeless Action Service’s Edward St centre when the link with the centre is maintained. This causes problems for neighbours, particularly in sheltered schemes, or when the tenant is vulnerable and unable to control the behaviour of their visitors from the Centre. Floating support is available to tenants and those from Edward St should be accessing this to learn independence.

·         Similar problems have been experienced in RSL supported housing schemes (hostels) such as Carr Gomm and Stonham. In addition, those living in this type of accommodation have support available to them to learn how to be independent and it is difficult to get residents to engage if the option of free food is available.

·         A counter argument from the Homeless Action Service is that the continued contact helps people get through a transitional stage.

·         It is also argued that the provision of free food helps substance misusers to remain healthier than they would otherwise be: they would not otherwise spend their benefit money on food.

·         The City Council do not directly fund the free food service, which is provided through donations of money and in kind from shops and harvest festivals.

·         If free food is provided to those who are homeless but not when housed, this may act as a disincentive to rough sleepers to move into accommodation – this argument can be used to either argue for continuing with free food for those in tenancies, or an argument for why no free food at all should be on offer.

Cabinet could approve the Strategy, subject to further amendments required by Members.

Cabinet could reject the Strategy.

The Officer preferred option was that Cabinet approve the Strategy recommended by the Steering Group.

(It was noted that Councillors Susie Charles and John Gilbert had previously declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the following item as Members of the CAB. They both left the meeting prior to consideration of matters in the report relating to their interest.)

Councillor Jon Barry proposed and Councillor Jane Fletcher seconded:-

“That the commissioning of specialist housing advice be considered on renewal of the SLA with the CAB”.

Members then voted as follows:-

Resolved Unanimously (8 Members):

(1)     That the commissioning of specialist housing advice be considered on renewal of the SLA with the CAB.

(Councillors Susie Charles and John Gilbert rejoined the meeting.)

It was moved by Councillor John Gilbert and seconded by Councillor David Kerr:-

“That the Homelessness Strategy 2008-13, as appended to the report, be approved, subject to any cost implications being referred back to Cabinet to be considered as part of the 2009/10 budget exercise.” 

Members then voted as follows.

Resolved Unanimously:

(1)     That the Homelessness Strategy 2008-13 be approved, subject to any cost implications being referred back to Cabinet to be considered as part of the 2009/10 budget exercise. .

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Community Services).

Reason for making the decision:

The decision would allow the Council to meet its requirement to produce a Strategy by the end of July 2008 and implementation could commence. Actions that had resource implications would be considered further as part of the 2009/10 budget exercise.