Meeting documents

Purpose of the Report

1 This report introduces and seeks approval for the County Durham Sub Regional Homelessness Strategy. Introduction

2 The Homelessness Action Partnership (HAP) is the main vehicle for joint working on homelessness across the county. It is a strategic multi-agency partnership which aims to prevent and tackle homelessness and ensure that homeless people or people at risk of becoming homeless have access to decent accommodation and support to live as independently as possible in County Durham. Partners include the County Council (Children and Young People’s Service and Adult Services including Supporting People), the seven District Councils, the Drug and Alcohol Action Team, Probation and the Housing Provider where housing stock is no longer managed or owned by the district. 3 In response to the challenges and opportunities faced by services in the Local Government Review process and to recommendations made in the Sub-Regional Housing Strategy, the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership sought agreement from the Durham Housing and Neighbourhoods Group to develop a sub-regional homelessness strategy. This document represents the strategic vision for Housing Solutions services across the new unitary authority from April 2009 to meet housing, advice and support needs across a diverse geographical and demographic area.

Background

4 The Homelessness Act 2002 places a duty on the Local Housing Authority to produce a Homelessness Strategy. The strategy must include a review of current services and performance over the previous 5 years, against the action plan put in place following the first strategy developed in 2003. The strategy must also predict future levels of needs and demand based on research findings and consultation with partners and service users.

5 Each of the 7 District Councils within County Durham has worked within their strategy action plan to meet the housing needs of customers over the past 5 years. In addition, the 7 Districts, the County Council and other partners have worked together through the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership to further improve and develop services.

6 Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 provides the statutory under-pinning for action to tackle homelessness. This homelessness legislation places a general duty on housing authorities to ensure that advice and information about homelessness, and preventing homelessness, is available to everyone in their district free of charge. The legislation also requires authorities to assist individuals and families who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to apply for help.

7 In 2002, the Government amended the homelessness legislation through the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002, with the intention of ensuring a more strategic approach to tackling and preventing homelessness, in particular by requiring a homelessness strategy for every Housing Authority area.

8 All local authorities must therefore review and produce a new Homelessness Strategy from July 2008 covering the period to 2013.

Current Position

9 There were six Homelessness Strategies in the County from 2003 - 2008, with Teesdale and Wear Valley’s being a joint strategy. Common themes in these strategies included:

· Improved and better co-ordinated advice and support services for homeless people.
· A need for emergency access accommodation for all homeless people, including direct access accommodation for young people and emergency accommodation for substance misusers.
· Improved options for suitable temporary accommodation and support provided for people during their stay in temporary accommodation.
· Rent deposit schemes to assist homeless households to access the quality private rented sector.
· Support for people placed in temporary accommodation.
· Further research into the housing and support needs of substance misusers and mental health clients.

10 In July 2008 the HAP launched a countywide consultation of the draft Sub-Regional Homelessness Strategy for County Durham. The consultation included over 100 people from 60 organisations and services users from across the county and closed in October 2008. The final draft has been approved by the HAP. i. To prevent homelessness: to further ensure that there is a comprehensive, prevention and housing options focused service across County Durham delivering advice and assistance to all in housing need.
ii. To ensure that sufficient, appropriate and affordable accommodation is available for people who are homeless or at risk.
iii. To support people who are homeless or who are at risk of repeat homelessness. 11 Briefing sessions for Members have taken place on 22 and 29 January 2009. The strategy is available from Member Services and the Strategy Action Plan is attached as Appendix 3.

Enhanced Housing Options

12 The Enhanced Housing Options Approach is a new way of providing housing advice, which empowers clients and transforms lives. John Hills’ review on the future role of social housing in England, published in February 2007, highlighted the success of the ‘housing options approach’ in preventing homelessness, and also praised other ‘choice-based’ services such as Choice-Based Lettings (CBL) schemes. Hills saw the value in services, which “treat those in need of housing support in a more adult way….moving towards a system where people make more of their own choices from a wider range of options, providing support when people need it”. Key to this approach is the need for early intervention and for services to be accessible to all. 13 The housing options approach fundamentally transforms the way that those in housing need interact with providers of housing advice. It empowers people by giving them information and advice about the options and services available and enables them to make informed decisions. In County Durham many of the District Councils have developed housing options services and a number have invested further to provide prevention services to enable early intervention to avoid homelessness to a wider sector of our communities. To promote an ‘enhanced’ housing options approach, Communities and Local Government invited bids from local authorities for two rounds of ‘trailblazers.’

14 County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership submitted a bid on behalf of its partners in July 2008 for the second round of funding. The second round is to run in 2009/10 for 20 trailblazers to develop enhanced housing options services with guidance and support from mentoring authorities. The bid has been successful and will attract of grant of £260,000 over 2 years from April 2009 to develop Enhanced Housing Options across County Durham.

Resources

15 The strategic action plan developed from the review of homelessness services across County Durham represents an elevation in service design to replicate the good practice achieved across the county since 2003 and to further develop good practice to meet the challenges ahead. Whilst implementation of the action plan will ensure appropriate services are developed to meet current and future need, it is recognised that resources will need to be managed to deliver this vision over the life time of the strategy. Where expected funding streams are not delivered, an assessment of the impact on our ability to deliver elements of the action plan will be made to ensure the core service is not affected. Work to address need will continue in partnership with voluntary and statutory sector agencies to achieve the strategic objectives over the life time of the strategy.

Next Steps

16 To enable the Sub-Regional Homelessness Strategy to be taken forward and to ensure the new authority meets its legal requirements under Part VII Housing Act 1996, (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002), the document requires the approval of the new Cabinet in readiness for vesting day of the 1st April 2009.

17 In order to comply with Part VIII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) the new Authority is required to approve a Homelessness Strategy.

18 The Director and Head of Housing are preparing a structure for the Housing Options Service that will ensure staff are deployed to deliver a safe Homelessness Service from vesting day.

19 A Housing Options Policy has been produced in accordance with the strategy as a guide for staff and users, which broadly outlines the services that will be delivered across the County.

20 Further guidance will be prepared giving more precise details on each element of the service once the staff team is in place.

21 An ‘Equality Impact Assessment’ is in the process of being carried out on the strategy. A risk assessment has been carried out and is attached at Appendix 2.

Recommendations and Reasons

22 That the County Durham Sub Regional Homelessness Strategy be approved.

23 That the Head of Housing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, has delegated authority to approve and amend any related policies and procedures that are produced, which underpin the Durham County Homelessness Strategy.

Background Papers

Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002

Contact: Glyn Hall Tel: 01388 816166

Appendix 1: Implications

Local Government Reorganisation
(Does the decision impact upon a future Unitary Council?)
Yes

Finance
Costs contained within existing budgets, including two year pump priming grant from the CLG of £240,000 for the development of Enhanced Housing Options service from April 2009.

Staffing
Accounted for in LGR staffing proposals for Housing Service.

Equality and Diversity
Equality and Diversity Impact assessment currently being undertaken.

Accommodation
None

Crime and Disorder
Indirect impact on meeting the accommodation needs of those at risk of offending or re-offending within the community enabling National Offender Management Service and partners to manage offender risk.

Sustainability
Forward planning of budgets and decision-making process monitored following ending of CLG homelessness grant regime in 2011 to ensure services are maintained and/or reduced as appropriate.

Human Rights
Compliance with legislation in regard to discrimination will be addressed through Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment.

Localities and Rurality
Proposed delivery structures will be area based and locally sensitive to meet identified needs.

Young People
Ensures statutory requirement for joint working between housing and social service departments is maintained and improved, for instance the Joint Young Persons Protocol and the Care Leavers Accommodation and Support Protocol.

Consultation
Consultation with staff, partner organisations and service users complete.

Health
Positive impact on health through addressing housing needs of key client groups.

Appendix 2: Risk Assessment for Key Decision

Risk Description	Potential Impact	Treatment (if not already in place, state implementation date)	Risk Owner
The Homelessness Strategy is not approved by Cabinet.	Potential Judicial Review proceedings due to failure to comply with statutory requirement to review and produce strategy. Potential negative Regional or National press / media coverage. Reputation damage to the County Council. Criticism by other stakeholders e.g. Partners, central government. Reputation damage to own Service area	Document in final version. Consultation undertaken with staff, partners and service users. Member training planned for January to advise of the authority’s statutory requirements.	Glyn Hall, Head of Housing
Identified priorities not implemented due to above.	Increase in the numbers of homelessness applications and presentations across County Durham. Increase use of temporary accommodation leading to failure to meet NI156 target set within LAA and central government target by 2010. Increase in crisis intervention leading to additional resource costs to housing and partner organisations. Reduction in quality of service to customers. Significant number of complaints from service users Statutory service still deliverable.	(As above) Current services working to align service provision to ensure current focus on homelessness prevention maintained. Combined districts services currently exceeding County target with continued focus to ensure transitions to single service does not incur determent to performance. Current services focus on early intervention maintained and developed within single service. As above.	Glyn Hall Glyn Hall Glyn Hall

To view appendix 3, please refer to pdf attachment or Hard Copies located in the Record Office.

Attachments