Rough sleeping strategy and action plan 2020

Summary

The Homelessness Act 2002 requires each local authority to carry out a review of homelessness across its area every five years and for that review to inform the development of its homelessness strategy. The Council's current strategy, the Preventing homelessness and rough sleeper strategy (2018-2023) was approved in 2018. The strategy identified five strategic objectives in relation to preventing homelessness and rough sleeping:

• early intervention and prevention of homelessness: to either prevent homelessness or assist in sourcing alternative sustainable accommodation
• increasing access to good quality, well managed accommodation in the private rented sector: we will work with private sector landlords to provide suitable affordable accommodation
• ensuring a stock of suitable temporary accommodation to meet the needs of homeless applicants: to provide a supply of good quality affordable temporary accommodation
• working with local partners to provide solutions which prevent homelessness: we will work with partners to develop and provide a range of options for preventing and relieving homelessness
• reduce the incidence of rough sleeping in the borough: adopt a robust approach to all forms of rough sleeping in the borough and respond in a timely manner

The Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy is accompanied by an action plan setting out a number of actions to achieve the five strategic objectives.

This Rough Sleeping Strategy has been produced to compliment and reinforce the existing Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. It contains a costed action plan which will support the objective of this strategy to:

• deliver a sustained reduction in the number of rough sleepers across the borough - including those who present as rough sleepers but who have accommodation (street attached lifestyles)

This strategy builds upon the opportunity presented by the Covid 19 pandemic to deliver a sustained reduction in rough sleeping across the borough and make a material change to the health, wellbeing and life chances of rough sleepers and those who are at risk of rough sleeping.

Document

• Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan 2020 (PDF) [518KB]