Homelessness Prevention Action Plan Review and …...Introduction 4 Introduction Cherwell District...
Transcript of Homelessness Prevention Action Plan Review and …...Introduction 4 Introduction Cherwell District...
Homelessness Prevention Action Plan Review and update for 2016 - 17
Contents
Foreword from Lead Member for Housing ........................................................................................ 3
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 4
Aims ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Key Facts ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Homeless Prevention Action Plan Update 2016 – 17 ...................................................................... 7
Appendix A - Homelessness Prevention Partnerships ...................................................................... 18
Appendix B - Statistical Information ................................................................................................... 19
2
Foreword
Foreword
I am pleased to support Cherwell’s Homelessness Prevention Action Plan 2016/17 and to ensure it has full support from Councillors. This council is very keen to reduce the number of households and communities
whose lives are affected by homelessness.
Cherwell has moved from a crisis situation of over 400 households in temporary accommodation to approximately 40 households weekly. We have been pleased to see the quality of temporary accommodation become mostly purpose built, well managed homes where families stay until they can achieve a settled housing solution. We are not complacent about our performance and know that it is the result of both good operational work and effective planning within the council and with our partners.
As a nation, we are beginning to see an economic recovery, and in our district unemployment is down to 1%. These are good signs for the economic success of communities. However, house prices and rents in our district are rising and becoming difficult for households to afford. We are working in a time of a significant reduction of funds for public services, and on-going welfare reforms.
I want to make sure that our most vulnerable residents are included. Our Homelessness Prevention Action Plan provides focus to help us all to understand the reasons for homelessness and provide solutions which really address them through partnership working to prevent homelessness. By working through a range of partnerships we hope to provide a safety net to include the needs of all individuals who need help to improve their life chances. Our objectives remain support to improve personal responsibility, personal resilience and personal health and well-being to prevent homelessness.
Councillor John Donaldson Lead Member for Housing
3
Introduction
4
Introduction Cherwell District Council’s Homelessness Prevention Plan has been refreshed for 2016 - 2017. The review of this Homelessness Prevention Action Plan comes at an important time strategically, with the following influences on the review:-
• Major reductions in public spending have meant we continue to see reduced funds available for homelessness prevention to the Council and its partners.
• The County Council has announced that it expects to need to make a further £50 million of cuts from its current budgets between now at 2019/20 and has recently consulted on its proposals to remodel services throughout the council. This includes possibilities of further reductions in housing related support for adults and young people. This will have a massive effect on homelessness prevention in Cherwell District Council if approved.
• The District Council is setting its budget for 2016/17 in an atmosphere of reduced funding from the County and a reduction in its own budget.
• The implementation of Universal Credit for single claimants has been introduced within Oxfordshire this year. The number claiming within Cherwell is still relatively low but announcements are expected for when this will be rolled out to larger sections of the community.
• Effects of Welfare reform are beginning to be felt. This includes a freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates until 2020 and benefit cap reduction to £20,000 for families living outside of London these are expected to have implications for claimants’ ability to sustain a tenancy.
• Interest rates have remained low, keeping mortgages more affordable.
• We are pleased to see ‘value for money’ achieved through the partnerships funded from the Homeless Prevention Grant. Our regular monitoring showed 10673 individual support requests in 2014 – 2015 were met. This equates to £9.32 per intervention.
The review sets out the aims and proposed outcomes for the year 2016 – 17, showing how the council will continue to work with its partners to prevent homelessness. We will retain the three themes of personal responsibility, personal resilience and personal health and well-being as we believe that focussing on these areas is the best way to support residents to avoid homelessness and sustain settled accommodation.
Aims, key facts and findings
5
Key factsEthnic diversity Cherwell District Council has lower than average national levels of ethnic diversity.
The levels of diversity have increased between the censuses of 2001 and 2011Unemployment Unemployment in Cherwell District Council is lower than the national
average at 0.6%Demand for housing The numbers on the Housing Register decreased when the new Allocation
scheme was implemented but are now rising The majority of applicants are seeking 1 or 2 bedroomed accommodation
Empty homes The number of empty homes in the district has decreased, assisted by the Council’s Build! initiative and the use of home improvement grants
Homelessness acceptances
The level of homelessness acceptances has increased significantly in the past year but correlates with the increase in the number of people approaching the council for assistance.
Reason for loss of last settled home
Very low levels of people being homeless on leaving careFew people homeless as a result of leaving hospital
Main causes are: Loss of assured shorthold tenancy Parents no longer willing or able to accommodate
Temporary accommodation
Use of temporary accommodation has increased over the past yearPeople are needing to stay in temporary accommodation for longer than previously due to a lack of affordable private rented accommodation to discharge homeless duties into.Use of bed and breakfast remains low but we have seen increase in the early part of this year.
No 16 and 17 year olds are accommodated in B & BRough sleeping The estimated number of rough sleepers in Cherwell increased from 14 to
21 during the most recent estimate in November 2015
AimsWith our partners’ support, Cherwell District Council aims to
• Take a broad view of homelessness prevention, looking to build personal responsibility, personal resilience and personal health and well being
• Continue to keep homelessness levels low through early intervention and crisis prevention
• Deliver focussed support which concentrates on preventing homelessness and avoiding repeat homelessness
• Understand the causes of homelessness and target prevention services to relevant groups such as emergent households
• Provide suitable accommodation to meet the needs of people in the district including better access to private sector accommodation
6
The cost effectiveness of early prevention
Research by Heriot-Watt University calculated the cost of preventing someone from becoming homeless was £1,700 compared with the £5,300 cost of helping someone after they become homeless The costs of a rent deposit scheme are estimated to be eight-and-a-half times less than the costs of providing accommodation under the main homelessness duty according to an advice note from the Department for Communities and Local GovernmentHelping someone to retain their accommodation through mediation(for example settling family disputes is nine times less expensive than finding someone new accommodation according to an advice note from the Department for Communities and Local GovernmentAdvice on housing options, such as how to solve benefit problems or helping people to manage their finances (i.e. debt advice, benefit take-up), is also estimated at nine times less expensive than finding someone new accommodation
For more detailed information Appendices
Appendix A Cherwell District Council homelessness partnerships
Appendix B Statistical information
Key Findings We have analysed the data which affect the way we deliver the Homelessness Prevention Action Plan with the following key findings
• Number of households accepted as homeless has increased from last year
• End of AST has become the main reason for presenting as homeless this year and has seen a 9% increase on the total number of presentations to the Council when compared to the previous full year (14/15). Only half of those presenting as homeless as a result of end of AST were accepted as homeless.
• The increased partnership work with the voluntary sector, together with commissioning an outreach service has resulted in improved intelligence about rough sleeping. It demonstrated that Cherwell has been consistently under resourced through Supporting people and the successor funding.
• The number of duty presentations increased significantly last year.
• The number of looked after children is statistically predicted to increase which has implications for their housing need on leaving care
• The number of referrals made for people rough sleeping within the District has also increased. As a result of this we have also seen an increase in the number of people accessing the Single Homeless Pathway.
Aims, key facts and findings
77
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 1
Per
son
al r
esp
on
sib
ility
8
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 1
Pers
onal
resp
onsi
bilit
y
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd m
ilest
ones
Pr
ogre
ss to
dat
e G
oing
forw
ard
Reso
urce
s G
old
Stan
dard
Ch
alle
nge
Incr
ease
acc
ess
to g
ood
qual
ity
hom
es in
all
sect
ors
Inve
stig
ate
and
enab
le
inno
vativ
e m
odel
s of h
ousin
g pr
ovisi
on:-‐
o
Build
to re
nt
o
Rent-‐sav
e-‐ow
n o
Ch
erwell’s own
deve
lopm
ent
prog
ramme
o
RP dev
elop
men
t prog
rammes
Vario
us dev
elop
men
t mod
els h
ave
been
con
sidered
throug
hout th
e life
of Che
rwell’s Hom
eless p
reve
ntion
Actio
n plan
s. C
urrently delivery of
new hou
sing ha
s bee
n de
livered
throug
h Ch
erwell’s dev
elop
men
t team
and
the Bu
ild! P
rogram
me.
Deve
lopm
ent h
as also
bee
n prov
ided
throug
h RP
s
Actio
n –
Cont
inue
with
CD
C’s
own
deve
lopm
ent p
rogr
amm
e -‐ C
DC’s
deve
lopm
ent p
rogram
me for 1
6/17
on
wards w
ill fo
cus o
n the de
livery at
the Grave
n Hill Site
, Bicester a
s well
as other Build! O
pportunitie
s.
Additio
nal ren
ted acco
mmod
ation
deve
lopm
ent for sing
les a
t affordab
le re
nts is a
lso in
the
pipe
line with
some to be de
livered
du
ring 20
16.
Actio
n –
Keep
abr
east
of p
ropo
sed
chan
ges
to p
lann
ing
requ
irem
ents
to
pro
vide
aff
orda
ble
hous
ing
-‐ We
will nee
d to fo
cus k
eenly on
the
prop
osed
cha
nges to
plann
ing
requ
iremen
ts from
the Hou
sing an
d Plan
ning
Bill. It is p
ropo
sed to
remov
e the ne
ed fo
r dev
elop
ers t
o prov
ide affordab
le hou
sing throug
h S1
06 agree
men
ts. T
his c
ould m
ean
that th
ere may
be no
new
rent
ed
affordab
le hou
sing de
livered
throug
h large de
velopm
ent s
ites an
d co
uld
face being
dep
ende
nt on relets only
for tho
se in
nee
d.
HCA
grant
Registered
Prov
ider fu
nds
CDC
recyclab
le
gran
t Exist
ing gran
t ag
reem
ents
1, 2, 6
Aims, key facts and findings
8
9
Cher
wel
l Bon
d Sc
hem
e (C
BS)
Continue
to w
ork with
priv
ate
sector la
ndlords t
o source
prop
ertie
s for th
e Ch
erwell
Bond
Sch
eme an
d to dev
elop
an
d review
the sche
me
CBS co
ntinue
s to be
an op
tion
offered to hou
seho
lds w
ho are
unab
le to
raise
the mon
ey re
quire
d to cov
er th
e de
posit
nee
ded to
access Priv
ate Re
nted
acco
mmod
ation.
We ha
ve se
en a re
duction in th
e nu
mbe
r of p
eople be
ing supp
orted
by th
is op
tion recently due
to Loc
al
Hou
sing Allowan
ce ra
tes n
ot
refle
cting the cu
rren
t marke
t costs
for p
rivate rented
accom
mod
ation
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue w
ith L
andl
ord
Hom
e Im
prov
emen
t Gra
nt s
chem
e,
in re
turn
for n
omin
atio
n rig
hts -‐
This ha
s ena
bled
us t
o ga
in
nominations to
priv
ate rented
acco
mmod
ation at Loc
al Hou
sing
Allowan
ce ra
tes (LH
A)
Actio
n -‐ P
rom
ote
land
lord
s fo
rum
-‐
Officers w
ill con
tinue
to w
ork with
land
lords t
hrou
gh th
e Co
uncil‘s
Land
lords F
orum
and
new
sletters
whe
re th
e be
nefits o
f joining
the
Cherwell B
ond Sche
me will be
prom
oted
to try to in
crea
se th
e am
ount of a
ffordab
le re
nted
prop
ertie
s ava
ilable.
Actio
n –
Cons
ider
new
opp
ortu
nitie
s to
impr
ove
acce
ss to
the
priv
ate
rent
ed s
ecto
r -‐ W
e will exp
lore new
initiatives to
provide
affo
rdab
le
homes in
the private sector
Actio
n –
Tena
ncy
Rela
tions
Off
icer
(T
RO) t
o lia
ise
with
land
lord
s to
pr
omot
e go
od p
ract
ice -‐
The TR
O w
ill con
tinue
to provide
increa
sed supp
ort to land
lords. He
will im
prov
e literature an
d lega
l ad
vice to
land
lords o
n tena
ncy
man
agem
ent issue
s. He will also
prov
ide ex
pert adv
ice an
d go
od
practic
e to su
pport s
taff across th
e Co
uncil in pa
rtne
rships and
also
includ
ing the Ch
erwell B
ond Sche
me
Exist
ing
resources
Exist
ing gran
t ag
reem
ents
Tena
ncy
Relatio
ns
Officer
1, 6
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 1
Per
son
al r
esp
on
sib
ility
Aims, key facts and findings
9
10
for tho
se in
hou
sing ne
ed to
access
private sector hou
sing
Co
ntrib
ute
to a
fin
anci
al
incl
usio
n st
rate
gy w
hich
fo
cuse
s on
wha
t ca
n be
ach
ieve
d in
par
tner
ship
an
d pl
ans
for t
he
pred
icte
d ef
fect
s of
wel
fare
re
form
Pers
onal
Bud
getin
g o
prov
ide de
bt and
mon
ey adv
ice to
housing ap
plican
ts
o
Establish
a Credit
Union
in Che
rwell
o
Target th
ose most in
need
of C
redit U
nion
services to
take
up
acco
unts
o
Continue
to w
ork in
partne
rship with
the
Cherwell staff
awarding
Disc
retio
nary
Hou
sing Pa
ymen
ts,
targeting pe
ople at risk
of hom
elessness
Cherwell D
istric
t Cou
ncil ha
s ex
tend
ed its e
xisting co
ntract w
ith
Citiz
ens A
dvice (CA) (formerly
Citiz
ens A
dvice Bu
reau
) to en
able it
to con
tinue
until Ap
ril 201
7 which
will be the co
mplete leng
th of the
tend
er.
This co
ntract provide
s free mon
ey
and de
bt adv
ice to all resid
ents in
Ch
erwell o
n a rang
e of issues and
prov
ides se
rvices ope
ratin
g in
Banb
ury, Bicester a
nd Kidlin
gton
. Se
rvices are provide
d throug
h offic
e ba
sed ap
pointm
ents and
hom
e visit
s Citiz
ens A
dvice are also dev
elop
ing
their e
mail services a
nd te
leph
one
services to
mak
e their s
ervices m
ore
accessible.
To date, th
is fin
ancial yea
r (Ap
r –
Sept) 3
081 clients h
ave be
en se
en by
CA as p
art o
f the
con
tract for m
oney
an
d de
bt adv
ice.
Citiz
ens A
dvice also provide
a fa
st
track ho
using ad
vice se
rvice to
supp
ort tho
se at risk
of
homelessness.
We worke
d with
OCC
to ensure that
Conn
ectio
n Floa
ting Su
pport s
ervices
continue
to be fund
ed to
provide
Actio
n -‐ C
DC
to c
omm
ence
ne
gotia
tions
to c
ontin
ue p
rovi
sion
of
Deb
t & M
oney
adv
ice
follo
win
g ex
piry
of t
he c
ontr
act M
arch
201
7 -‐
Work with
in th
e Co
uncil to plan
and
co
nsider arran
gemen
ts and
fund
ing
to con
tinue
to provide
qua
lity de
bt
and mon
ey adv
ice to th
e resid
ents of
Cherwell following the ex
piry of the
cu
rren
t ten
der a
rran
gemen
ts in
March
201
7.
Actio
n -‐ R
efre
sh a
nd re
-‐laun
ch
Cred
it U
nion
-‐ Re
fresh an
d rebran
d Cred
it Union
in Che
rwell to prov
ide
low cost loa
ns and
saving
s for
Cherwell residen
ts.
Actio
n -‐ P
rovi
de o
n-‐go
ing
trai
ning
an
d in
form
atio
n on
wel
fare
refo
rm
for s
taff
and
par
tner
s in
par
tner
ship
ac
ross
the
Coun
cil -‐ Provide
training
op
portun
ities and
upd
ates on
welfare re
form
s to en
sure partner
agen
cies and
staff a
re up to date an
d
well informed
on the cu
rren
t issue
s an
d ch
ange
s
Cont
inue
Fin
anci
al In
clus
ion
wor
k
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t Exist
ing gran
t ag
reem
ents
Exist
ing
resources
Voluntary
sector
resources
1, 2, 3
,4,7
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 1
Per
son
al r
esp
on
sib
ility
Aims, key facts and findings
10
11
expe
rt su
pport s
ervices a
nd
assessmen
ts fo
r vulne
rable clients.
We pa
rticularly fo
cus t
riage
services
at both the Be
acon
Cen
tre an
d Bridge
s Drop in cen
tre in Bicester to
prov
ide supp
ort for in
depe
nden
t living an
d referrals t
o othe
r age
ncies
such
as C
itizen Ad
vice fo
r in-‐de
pth
mon
ey and
deb
t adv
ice which
also
prev
ents Hom
elessness.
with
Par
tner
s -‐ w
ork to promote an
d de
velop fin
ancial in
clusion mea
sures
and joint w
orking
throug
h regu
lar
mee
tings -‐ includ
ing othe
r tea
ms in
the Co
uncil a
nd partner age
ncies
across th
e statutory an
d vo
luntary
sectors.
Actio
n -‐ S
uppo
rt w
ork
of N
OAP
-‐ En
courag
e service prov
iders t
o work
colla
borativ
ely to ensure no
du
plication, and
coo
rdinated
supp
ort
and service de
livery an
d a joined
up
approa
ch to
mee
t clie
nt’s nee
ds. T
o ex
tend
this work to in
clud
e Fo
od
Bank
s across t
he Dist
rict. To
do this
we will a
lso con
tinue
to w
ork with
Citiz
ens A
dvice North Oxfordshire
Advice Partnership
Skill
s and
trai
ning
o
Bu
ild an op
erationa
l working
relatio
nship
with
the Job Ce
ntre
Plus m
anag
er
Close lin
ks w
ere mad
e with
the JCP
man
ager and
supp
orted the
implem
entatio
n of Unive
rsal Credit
with
Che
rwell. The
JCP man
ager le
ft
their p
ost s
hortly after th
e im
plem
entatio
n of UC.
Actio
n -‐ I
dent
ify n
ew c
onta
cts
at JC
P -‐ R
e-‐establish
con
tacts a
nd fo
rge
close working
with
the ne
w Jo
b Ce
ntre Plus m
anag
er fo
llowing staff
chan
ges.
1,2,3
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 1
Per
son
al r
esp
on
sib
ility
Aims, key facts and findings
11
12
Key
Stra
tegi
c Ar
ea 2
Pe
rson
al re
silie
nce
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd
mile
ston
es
Prog
ress
to d
ate
Goi
ng fo
rwar
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e Pr
ovid
e su
ppor
t to
mem
bers
of v
ulne
rabl
e gr
oups
(inc
ludi
ng
vuln
erab
le a
dults
, vi
ctim
s of
dom
estic
vi
olen
ce a
nd y
oung
pe
ople
); to
avo
id
hom
eles
snes
s, b
e “h
ousi
ng re
ady”
and
m
aint
ain
hous
ing
succ
essf
ully
Cont
ribut
e to
the
re-‐
com
miss
ioni
ng
proc
esse
s and
opt
imise
pr
ovisi
on in
Che
rwel
l fo
r se
rvic
es w
ithin
the
o
Yo
ung Pe
ople’s
(YP) pathw
ay
o
Domestic
Ab
use services
o
Sing
le
homeless
peop
le
includ
ing those
who
may
be
sleep
ing roug
h
Re-‐com
miss
ioning
of O
CC fu
nded
supp
ort to the Yo
ung Pe
rson
’s
Pathway
was com
pleted
in April
2015
and
is now
ope
ratio
nal.
The Oxfordshire Single Hom
eless
Pathway
has bee
n re-‐com
miss
ione
d throug
hout th
is ye
ar and
con
tracts
have
now
bee
n aw
arde
d to th
e successful organ
isatio
ns. Work is
now st
artin
g for C
herw
ell to receive
fund
ing for s
uppo
rt to
provide
local
acco
mmod
ation op
portun
ities by
Februa
ry 201
6 to ensure those with
a Ch
erwell con
nection will hav
e im
prov
ed access t
o local
acco
mmod
ation w
ithin th
e distric
t A ne
w Cou
nty Do
mestic
Abu
se
Strategic lead
has bee
n ap
pointed by
OCC
and
is beg
inning
a st
rategic
review
of d
omestic
abu
se se
rvices
and supp
ort fun
ding
across t
he
Coun
ty.
Locally w
e ha
ve estab
lishe
d a multi-‐
agen
cy group
in Che
rwell w
hich
Actio
n -‐ H
old
loca
l Hom
eles
s Pa
rtne
rshi
p m
eetin
gs a
nd e
vent
s to
pr
ovid
e up
date
s an
d tr
aini
ng to
sta
ff
and
part
ners
– com
mun
icate with
local
partne
rs to
share kn
owledg
e an
d be
st
practic
e.
Actio
n -‐ A
tten
d m
onito
ring
mee
tings
w
ith O
CC -‐ Co
ntinue
to m
onito
r the
prog
ress of the
dev
elop
men
t of
supp
orted ho
using in Che
rwell to en
sure
that th
e ne
w pathw
ay fo
r single
homeless c
lients w
ill be op
erationa
l from
1 Feb
ruary 20
16
Continue
to m
onito
r the
new
ly
commiss
ione
d Su
pported Hou
sing
Pathway
provisio
n for y
oung
peo
ple (16-‐
25 yea
rs) a
nd you
ng fa
milies provide
d throug
h in th
e YP
pathw
ay in
Che
rwell.
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue to
pro
vide
DA
outr
each
sup
port
in C
herw
ell D
istr
ict
Coun
cil -‐
Con
tinue
to provide
a DA
specialist o
utreach worke
r in Ch
erwell.
This po
st w
ill con
tinue
to su
pport
repo
rted
cases, a
ssessed as lo
w and
med
ium risk cases by Po
lice, to
preve
nt
homelessness w
hene
ver its possib
le and
safe to
do so
Exist
ing
resources
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t Exist
ing gran
t arrang
emen
ts
Coun
ty
Coun
cil
fund
ing
2, 4, 5
, 9
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 2
Per
son
al r
esili
ence
12
13
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd
mile
ston
es
Prog
ress
to d
ate
Goi
ng fo
rwar
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e includ
es re
presen
tatio
n from
the
Banb
ury pu
rpose bu
ilt Refug
e to
ensure w
e are ke
pt upd
ated
and
pa
rticipate to re
presen
t Che
rwell.
Actio
n -‐ H
old
regu
lar D
A pa
rtne
rshi
p m
eetin
gs in
Che
rwel
l to
keep
upd
ated
-‐ Prov
ide a do
mestic
abu
se m
onito
ring
mee
ting in Che
rwell to includ
e Co
mmun
ity Safety an
d those prov
iding
othe
r spe
cialist
services in
the Distric
t includ
ing Ba
nbury refuge
and
also
the
new cou
nty DA
specialist P
ost
Actio
n -‐ P
artic
ipat
e in
the
coun
ty
revi
ew o
f do
mes
tic a
buse -‐ To
work
jointly
with
the Co
mmun
ity Safety
Man
ager to
share attend
ance at the
Co
unty m
eetin
gs of O
DASG
and
also
to
participate in th
e co
unty re
view
of
domestic
abu
se se
rvices and
refuge
acco
mmod
ation prov
ision
Im
prov
e an
d de
velop
Partne
rship working
and
prov
ide suita
ble ho
using
optio
ns
Revi
ew se
rvic
e pr
ovisi
on
for v
ulne
rabl
e gr
oups
in
the
stat
utor
y an
d vo
lunt
ary
sect
or,
o
to create be
tter
access to
services across
the distric
t o
to optim
ise
value from
the
floating
supp
ort s
ervice
o
evalua
te
partne
rship
fund
ing
We ha
ve m
ade co
ntact w
ith
voluntary an
d faith
group
s inc
luding
Fo
od Ban
ks and
hav
e im
prov
ed
partne
rships w
ith st
atutory ag
encies.
We mon
itor d
elivery in co-‐op
eration
with
the flo
ating supp
ort s
ervice
prov
ider.
We co
nduc
t reg
ular se
rvice leve
l ag
reem
ent m
onito
ring mee
tings w
ith
all fun
ded orga
nisatio
ns to
eva
luate
prov
ision
.
Actio
n -‐ R
evie
w a
nd u
pdat
e w
ebsi
te -‐
Review
inform
ation on
the Ch
erwell
web
site an
d prom
ote the work be
ing
done
across t
he cou
ncil an
d othe
r ag
encies to
preve
nt hom
elessness
with
in th
e distric
t. Ac
tion
-‐ Ref
resh
the
Cher
wel
l Co
mm
unity
Dire
ctor
y -‐ R
eview provisio
n of in
form
ation to age
ncies a
nd
individu
als inc
luding
the Co
uncil
Commun
ity Dire
ctory.
Actio
n -‐ P
rodu
ce n
ew le
afle
ts a
nd
post
ers
-‐ Provisio
n of posters and
other
advice and
materials to re
port and
assist
those who
may
be sle
eping roug
h.
Exist
ing
resources
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t Exist
ing gran
t arrang
emen
ts
Voluntary
sector
resources
2,4,5
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 2
Per
son
al r
esili
ence
13
14
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd
mile
ston
es
Prog
ress
to d
ate
Goi
ng fo
rwar
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue C
DC
part
ners
hip
fund
ing -‐Con
tinue
to m
onito
r pe
rforman
ce and
ensure gran
t fun
ding
to partnership w
orking
to preve
nt
homelessness c
ontin
ues
Off
er o
ppor
tuni
ties
for
indi
vidu
als
to
part
icip
ate
in im
prov
ing
thei
r hou
sing
opt
ions
Prov
ide Se
lf bu
ild and
self-‐fin
ish opp
ortunitie
s with
in th
e Bu
ild
prog
ramme ho
using
deve
lopm
ents.
Prov
ide a Sp
ecialist
approa
ch and
service for
those ap
plying
for
housing stating they
are
‘No fix
ed abo
de’ to ga
in
access to
the Hou
sing
Register.
Deve
lop a ne
w and
im
prov
ed ‘Mov
e-‐on
protoc
ol’ to m
axim
ise
the use of su
pported
acco
mmod
ation
oppo
rtun
ities w
ithin th
e Distric
t
Applican
ts to
the ho
using register
stating they
are of N
o Fixe
d Ab
ode
are offered an
app
ointmen
t with
a
Hou
sing Officer to co
nfirm
their
circum
stan
ces a
nd disc
uss t
he
housing op
tions and
supp
ort
available to th
em.
A ne
w m
ove-‐on
protoco
l from
supp
orted acco
mmod
ation ha
s bee
n de
signe
d as part o
f the
recent re
view
of th
e ho
using allocatio
ns sc
heme.
Actio
n -‐ M
onito
r the
out
com
es o
f the
M
ove-‐
on p
roto
col -‐
Embe
d the Ch
erwell
‘Mov
e-‐on
protoco
l’ with
Partners
prov
iding supp
orted ho
using an
d to
mon
itor its su
ccess. This n
ew w
ay of
assessing requ
ests to
mov
e-‐on
will
enab
le m
axim
isatio
n of su
pported
housing acco
mmod
ation an
d also
ensure th
at th
e skills r
equired to
man
age a tena
ncy are ad
equa
tely te
sted
to ensure tena
ncy success.
Actio
n -‐ S
uppo
rt d
evel
opm
ent o
f a
‘tena
ncy
read
y sc
hem
e’ fo
r peo
ple
in
pris
ons
-‐ Enc
ourage
the de
velopm
ent o
f a tena
ncy read
y Sche
me with
in pris
ons
Actio
n -‐ I
nves
tigat
e su
ppor
t to
prov
ide
furn
iture
and
fitt
ings
by
dona
tion
or a
t re
ason
able
cos
t
Exist
ing
resources
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t Exist
ing gran
t arrang
emen
ts
Coun
ty
Coun
cil
fund
ing
Voluntary
sector
resources
CLG offe
nders
Bid
2
Improv
e de
velopm
ent
of opp
ortunitie
s for
single pe
ople to
succee
d throug
h supp
ort, skills
and ho
using
oppo
rtun
ities at
affordab
le re
nts in
Consideration to dev
elop
a sing
le
person
s hou
sing strategy and
more
new sing
le hom
eless p
rovisio
n in
Cherwell D
istric
t Cou
ncil.
Successful CLG
Single Hom
eless B
id
led by
Che
rwell for th
e co
unty to
Actio
n -‐ W
ork
in p
artn
ersh
ip a
cros
s th
e H
ousi
ng T
eam
to p
rodu
ce a
Sin
gle
Pers
ons
Hou
sing
Str
ateg
y to
ens
ure
ther
e is
an
impr
oved
sup
ply
of s
ingl
e ac
com
mod
atio
n in
Che
rwel
l – This w
ill
prov
ide a step
ping
ston
e an
d op
portun
ity fo
r tho
se w
ith add
ition
al
2,3,4,5
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 2
Per
son
al r
esili
ence
14
15
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd
mile
ston
es
Prog
ress
to d
ate
Goi
ng fo
rwar
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e Ch
erwell
prev
ent h
omelessness a
nd im
prov
e ho
using op
tions fo
r ex-‐offend
ers.
Furthe
r work to be co
nsidered
to
unde
rstand
and
mitiga
te cuts from
OCC
.
supp
ort n
eeds w
ho re
quire
skills a
nd
supp
ort to en
able th
em to
access
gene
ral h
ousin
g successfully and
will
includ
e de
livery of 13 un
its of sup
ported
acco
mmod
ation in Che
rwell to be
used
as part o
f the
new
sing
le hom
eless
pathway
and
integrate with
existing
supp
orted ho
using prov
ision
across t
he
coun
ty and
provide
supp
ort w
ithin
Distric
t.
Deve
lop a Ro
ugh
Slee
pers’ a
ction plan
to
try to re
duce ro
ugh
sleep
ing
We ha
ve dev
elop
ed sign
ificant
partne
rship working
in Che
rwell to
prov
ide arrang
e of se
rvice de
livery to
supp
ort v
ulne
rable pe
ople and
prev
ent rou
gh slee
ping
in Che
rwell.
This co
ntinue
s to be
a m
ajor fo
cus
for the
com
mun
ity and
we ha
ve
been
pleased
to partic
ipate with
Fa
ith group
s, Stree
t link, Salva
tion
Army mee
tings, B
eaco
n Ce
ntre,
Street Pastors and
BYH
P
Actio
n -‐ P
rodu
ce a
Rou
gh S
leep
ers
mul
ti ag
ency
Act
ion
Plan
and
impr
ove
cont
act w
ith F
ood
bank
s an
d St
reet
pa
stor
s -‐ C
ontin
ue to
liaise w
ith Partners
to preve
nt hom
elessness a
nd to
provide
supp
ort to vu
lnerab
le peo
ple. To also
includ
e the Street Pastors and
Foo
d Ba
nks information an
d intellige
nce to
work to enc
ourage
positive
eng
agem
ent
from
all those in nee
d. Provide
inform
ation to ena
ble them
to assist
those they
link
with
in th
e local
commun
ity to
access s
ervices.
2,3,4,5
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 2
Per
son
al r
esili
ence
15
16
Key
Stra
tegi
c Ar
ea 3
Pers
onal
Hea
lth a
nd W
ellb
eing
Ke
y ob
ject
ives
Key
actio
ns a
nd m
ilest
ones
Pr
ogre
ss to
dat
e G
oing
For
war
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e Im
prov
e pa
rtne
rshi
p w
orki
ng to
dev
elop
and
m
aint
ain
serv
ices
in a
tim
e of
aus
terit
y,
offe
ring
oppo
rtun
ities
to
deve
lop
expe
rtis
e an
d sh
are
best
pra
ctic
e,
impr
ove
valu
e fo
r mon
ey
and
offe
r a c
o-‐or
dina
ted
appr
oach
Prov
ide forum opp
ortunitie
s for d
iscussio
n an
d pa
rtne
rship working
o
sin
gle ho
meless
forum
o
Vulnerab
le A
dults
acco
mmod
ation
pane
l o
Yo
ung Pe
ople’s
acco
mmod
ation
pane
l
There ha
ve bee
n sig
nific
ant
chan
ges t
o pa
rtne
rship working
an
d co
mmiss
ioning
of
supp
orted ho
using.
Ope
ratio
nal joint w
orking
and
pa
rtne
rship ha
s con
tinue
d successfully in
Che
rwell w
ith
both You
ng Peo
ples and
Vu
lnerab
le Adu
lts m
eetin
gs
mon
thly.
A co
uncil finan
cial in
clusion
even
t was su
pported an
d ap
preciated by
partners
Partne
rship working
is essen
tial
to m
inim
ise effe
cts o
f the
on-‐
going ch
ange
s
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue to
sup
port
pa
rtne
rshi
ps in
the
loca
l co
mm
unity
to p
reve
nt
hom
eles
snes
s an
d pr
omot
e fin
anci
al in
clus
ion
-‐ Partnership
working
con
tinue
s to be
essential to prev
ent
homelessness.
We will con
tinue
our existing
links w
ithin existing resources
to con
tinue
the cu
rren
t service
delivery.
Exist
ing resources
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t Co
unty Cou
ncil
2,5
Participate in all forum
oppo
rtun
ities fo
r disc
ussio
n an
d pa
rtne
rship working
o
JATA
C o
MAR
AC
o
Joint H
ousin
g Stee
ring Group
o
Oxfordshire Hou
sing
and Hom
elessness
The Hou
sing De
partmen
t has
continue
d to be represen
ted at
the va
rious m
ulti-‐ag
ency
mee
tings to
ensure that
Cherwell a
re aware of activities
taking
place across t
he dist
rict
and throug
hout Oxfordshire.
This ha
s allo
wed
us t
o iden
tify
oppo
rtun
ities to
work in
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue to
att
end
rele
vant
mul
ti-‐ag
ency
m
eetin
gs fo
r dis
cuss
ion
and
part
ners
hip
wor
king
op
port
uniti
es – to
partic
ipate
at Oxfordshire Cou
nty Co
uncil
mee
tings to
disc
uss t
he effe
ct
of th
e sig
nific
ant g
overnm
ent
budg
et cuts a
t OCC
which
will
Exist
ing resources
Hom
elessness
prev
entio
n gran
t
2
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 3
Per
son
al H
ealt
h an
d W
ellb
ein
g
16
17
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd m
ilest
ones
Pr
ogre
ss to
dat
e G
oing
For
war
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e Group
o
Hea
lth and
Wellbeing
Boa
rd
o
Brighter Futures
them
e grou
ps
o
Cred
it Union
project
grou
p o
Fina
ncial inc
lusio
n pa
rtne
rship
o
HSA
G
Review
ing an
d form
ing ne
w
grou
ps if necessary
partne
rship such
as t
he DCL
G
Sing
le Hom
eless fun
d project
supp
ortin
g ex
-‐offe
nders
throug
hout Oxfordshire.
The joint C
redit U
nion
Project
with
Sou
th Northan
ts DC ha
s en
ded. Initia
l con
versations
have
bee
n he
ld to
start a
Ch
erwell foc
used
project in
pa
rtne
rship with
San
ctua
ry is
to beg
in sh
ortly
to ensure
delivery refle
cts t
he nee
ds of
the distric
t.
affect current su
pported
housing prov
ision
and
working
arrang
emen
ts in
Che
rwell a
nd
across th
e co
unty.
New
requ
iremen
ts fo
r Sa
fegu
arding
and
the ne
w
MAS
H re
ferral sy
stem
for a
dults
an
d ch
ildren ne
eds t
o be
em
bedd
ed w
ith partners a
nd
staff throu
gh a training
prog
ramme
Actio
n –
Cont
inue
to d
evel
op
the
DCL
G o
ffen
der p
roje
ct to
pr
even
t hom
eles
snes
s -‐ O
n-‐go
ing strategic assessmen
t of
ex-‐offe
nder hou
sing ne
eds
throug
h the on
-‐going
work with
DC
LG fu
nding an
d the CR
C in
Cherwell
New
IT platform fo
r Credit
union
Wor
k to
war
ds G
old
Stan
dard
for
hom
eles
snes
s se
rvic
es
and
cont
inue
to p
rovi
de
a hi
gh q
ualit
y ho
usin
g op
tions
ser
vice
, foc
ussi
ng
on h
omel
essn
ess
prev
entio
n
Work with
NHAS
and
the
Oxfordshire Hou
sing an
d Hom
elessness g
roup
to m
eet
the Gold Stan
dard and
use
the diag
nostic pee
r rev
iew
tool to
improv
e pe
rforman
ce
A diag
nostic pee
r rev
iew w
as
unde
rtak
en in
Sep
tembe
r 201
4 which
we pa
ssed
with
a m
ark
of 72%
. Th
is ha
s allo
wed
us t
o no
w beg
in app
lying for the
10
challeng
es to
mee
t the
gold
stan
dard
Actio
n -‐ C
ontin
ue w
ork
to
achi
eve
hom
eles
s G
old
stan
dard -‐ Work with
the
Nationa
l Practition
er Sup
port
Service, NHAS
and
the
Oxfordshire Hou
sing Hom
eless
grou
p to m
eet the
Gold
Stan
dard and
use th
e diag
nostic
peer re
view
tool to
improv
e pe
rforman
ce.
Exist
ing resources
all
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 3
Per
son
al H
ealt
h an
d W
ellb
ein
g
17
18
Key
obje
ctiv
es
Key
actio
ns a
nd m
ilest
ones
Pr
ogre
ss to
dat
e G
oing
For
war
d Re
sour
ces
Gol
d St
anda
rd
Chal
leng
e Im
plem
ent the
new
Allocatio
ns Sch
eme en
surin
g those in greatest n
eed are
prioritise
d for h
ousin
g o
Re
assess
applications to
achiev
e ap
prop
riate
band
ing un
der the
ne
w sc
heme
o
Ensure app
lican
ts
unde
rstand
the ne
w
sche
me
o
Train pa
rtne
rs in
the
new sc
heme
A review
of the
existing
allocatio
ns sc
heme ha
s bee
n un
dertak
en th
is ye
ar and
a
revised ve
rsion was la
unch
ed
on 7 Sep
tembe
r 201
5 follo
wing
consultatio
n with
partners
abou
t propo
sed ch
ange
s.
Chan
ges introdu
ced includ
ed
the introd
uctio
n of a re
serve
list for th
ose with
out a
reco
gnise
d ho
using ne
ed and
the introd
uctio
n of prio
rity for
peop
le w
ho can
dem
onstrate
that are su
bject to fin
ancial
hardship w
ithin th
eir e
xisting
home.
Actio
n -‐ R
egul
arly
revi
ew
Allo
catio
ns S
chem
e ru
les
as
new
cha
nges
in le
gisl
atio
n ar
e in
trod
uced
and
mon
itor r
ent
leve
ls a
cros
s al
l ho
usin
g se
ctor
s -‐ M
onito
r the
cha
nges
introd
uced
by the revised
allocatio
ns sc
heme to ensure
that th
ose in greatest n
eed are
prioritise
d for h
ousin
g an
d that
there ha
ve not bee
n un
intend
ed con
sequ
ences o
f the review
.
Exist
ing resources
2
Key
stra
tegi
c ar
ea 3
Per
son
al H
ealt
h an
d W
ellb
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Appendix A Homeless partnerships
18
19
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Appendix B
19
1. Demographic overviewChanges between 2001 census and 2011 census
a) Ethnicity
The BME population in Cherwell has increased in the 2011 census compared to the 2001 census. Current proportions are shown in the graphs below.
Band General HomelessST moving to district Transfer Grand Total
1 39 66 1052 345 28 1 89 4633 218 39 257Reserve List 15 3 18Grand Total 617 28 1 197 843
2. Housing demandChanges made to the Housing Allocations Scheme as part of the Localism Act 2011 meant there was a significant reduction in the number of people eligible to join the housing register. We have recently reviewed these changes and amended the allocations scheme to support more people to join the housing register. The figure below show the number of people registered to be on the housing register as of 5th November 2015.
2011 census Ethnicity - BME
Cherwell SE National12% 13% 18%
Population Up from 131,785 to 141,868
b) AgeUnder 15s down from 19.8% to 18.8%Over 65s up from 13.5% to 15.3%Source Gold standard NPSS
20
Current Bedroom Need General Homeless
ST moving to district Transfer Grand Total
4 19 16 353 46 25 712 245 28 49 3221 307 1 107 415Grand Total 617 28 1 197 843
The table below shows that the 87% of people on the housing register need 1 or 2 bedroom properties.
3. Trends in Homelessnessa) Rough Sleeping
The number of people reported to DCLG as rough sleeping within the district in 14/15 was 14. The most recent estimate (conducted in November 2015) increased to 21 with Cherwell. Oxfordshire saw a 64% increase in the number of people reported as sleeping rough in 14/15. This was partly due to a change in the way rough sleepers were reported by Oxford City who had previously conducted a street count whilst the other districts conduct estimates due to the geographic nature of the different constituencies.
Cherwell have seen an increase in the number of people reported as sleeping rough in the past year.
YearTotal Reported
Total Verified
Access the Pathway
Refused the Pathway
Not Eligible/ No Local Connection Re-connected
Aug 12 – Mar 13
38 8 4 0 3 1
Apr 13 – Mar 14
90 27 8 15 3 1
Apr 14 – Mar 15
132 79 25 21 7 2
Apr 15 – Sept 15
60 27 7 10 0 0
mate (conducted in November 2015) increased to 21 with Cherwell. Oxfordshire saw a 64% increase in the number of people reported as sleeping rough in 14/15. This was partly due to a change in the way rough sleepers were reported by Oxford City who had previously conducted a street count whilst the other districts conduct estimates due to the geographic nature of the different constituencies.
Cherwell have seen an increase in the number of people reported as sleeping rough in the past year
21
Homeless Presentations –
Figures show that the number of people approaching the council as homeless or at threat of becoming homelessness has increased in the past year.
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15Cancelled 2 1 0 5Number of Presentations 124 127 128 166Accepted 62 59 51 78Non Priority 10 9 22 26Intentionally Homeless 30 24 33 26Not Homeless 20 27 14 30Not Eligible 2 1 3 1Pending 0 5 5 0198 Referrals 0 2 0 1Duty Presentations 72 58 52 100Casework Presentations 53 69 76 66
• The number of presentations continues to increase, last year we saw an increase of 22%
• The number of people being accepted increased by 23%
• 28% of approaches were from Singles or Couples
• The number of presentations made to duty increased by 92% - this was in part due to changes in service delivery in the housing needs team due to vacancies within the team and long term sickness
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15Cancelled 2 1 0 5Number of Presentations 124 127 128 166Accepted 62 59 51 78Non Priority 10 9 22 26Intentionally Homeless 30 24 33 26Not Homeless 20 27 14 30Not Eligible 2 1 3 1Pending 0 5 5 0198 Referrals 0 2 0 1Duty Presentations 72 58 52 100Casework Presentations 53 69 76 66
22
Reasons
2013/14Number Accepted %
2014/15Number Accepted %
End AST 26 11 20% 48 24 29%Parental Eviction 27 11 21% 35 23 21%Relative / Friend Eviction 20 5 16% 18 8 11%Relationship Breakdown 10 8 8% 18 6 11%Other Loss of private / Tied 4 2 3% 14 5 8%Domestic Abuse 13 5 10% 8 3 5%Hospital Discharge 3 0 2% 1 0 1%Other Violence 1 0 1% 3 1 2%Illegal Eviction 0 0 0 0 0 0Mortgage Repossession 3 3 3 4 2 2%NFA 3 0 2% 2 0 1%Prison 1 0 1% 1 0 1%Supported Accom Eviction 4 3 3% 9 5 5%Emergency 5 1 4% 1 1 1%Loss of Tied accommodation 0 0 0 0 0 0MOD Discharge 4 1 3% 0 0 0Other Reasons 0 0 0 2 0 1%Pending 0 0 0 0 0 0RSL Eviction 4 1 3% 2 0 1%S198 Referral 0 0 1 1 Totals 128 51 166 78
Reasons for Presentations and acceptances
• We have seen the number of people approaching the council for assistance having been evicted from Private Rented Accommodation nearly double in the past year this is now the top reason for people becoming homeless in Cherwell.
23
Advice and Prevention
Emergency Temporary Accommodation Placements
Though improved casework we have been able to plan more efficiently for cases that we are aware will require placing in temporary accommodation. This improves the standard of service being provided and prevents costs to the council in having to identify expensive B&B accommodation.
Call 01295 227004or visit www.cherwell.gov.uk
The information in this document can be made available in other languages, large print braille, audio tape or electronic format on request. Please contact 01295 227001
HOUS_JB03291_06/2016
How to contact us
Housing Needs Team Cherwell District Council Bodicote House Bodicote Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 4AA
Tel: 01295 227004
e-mail: [email protected]
www.cherwell.gov.uk