Issue - meetings

1.  That the drawing down and spend of the following be approved:

  ii.  Increase in Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2023/24 of £360k.

  iii.  The Accommodation for the Ex-Offenders Scheme grant funding of up to £148k per annum for 2023/24 and 2024/25

  iv.  The Rough Sleeping Initiative 5 (2023-24) grant funding of up to £428k.

2. Note that the report sets out the planned allocation of resources for the above three Grants.

Report HPR2023/042

The Council’s Housing Department had a statutory obligation to provide advice and information to all residents, to prevent or relieve their homelessness in line with the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

The Council received Homelessness Prevention Grant funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) to assist it in undertaking these duties, including specialist funding for vulnerable groups within the local authority region. In previous years, this funding had been received on an annual basis; however, in this round, the Council had been allocated £3.75m in funding for 2023/24 and a further £3.78m for 2024/25. Included within this funding was a dedicated Domestic Abuse Allocation of £69k for 2023/24 and a further £100k for 2024/25.

The Council had also been allocated up to £148k funding per annum for 2023/24 and 2024/25 for the Accommodation for the Ex-Offenders Programme (AFEO) and in addition, £428k for Rough Sleeping Initiative 5 funding for 2023/24.

The report set out the breakdown of the pots of DLUHC homelessness funding received, how it would be utilised through initiatives and schemes to prevent homelessness, and how it would enhance the homelessness service offered to those fleeing domestic voilence.

The report had been scrutinised by the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee at its meeting on 15 June 2023 and the Committee had supported the recommendations.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the drawing down and spend of the following be approved:

i)  Increase in Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2023/24 of £360k.

ii)  The Accommodation for the Ex-Offenders Scheme grant funding of up to £148k per annum for 2023/24 and 2024/25

iii)  The Rough Sleeping Initiative 5 (2023-24) grant funding of up to £428k.

2.   Note that the report sets out the planned allocation of resources for the above three Grants.

  Report HPR2023/042

The report outlined proposals for the delivery of homelessness advice and information services for the 2023/24 financial year, including an enhanced homelessness service for those fleeing domestic violence, to be funded by the Homelessness Prevention Grant, Accommodation for Ex-Offenders Programme and Rough Sleeping Initiative.

A Member was pleased to note the broad range of work being undertaken to tackle homelessness and queried how Members could best support this.  The Assistant Director: Housing underlined the need for the Local Authority to continue to work closely with its Housing Association partners to establish high quality social housing in the Borough and emphasised the importance of managing the expectations of those seeking to secure social housing.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Approve the drawing down and spend of:

i)  The increase in Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2023/24 of £360k;

ii)  The Accommodation for the Ex-Offenders Scheme grant funding of up to £148k per annum for 2023/24 and 2024/25;

iii)  The Rough Sleeping Initiative 5 (2023-24) grant funding of up to £428k.

2)  Note that Report HPR2023/042 sets out the planned allocation of resources for the above three Grants.