Issue - meetings

To consider and to recommend to Council that a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, to respond to the current homelessness situation in the District, new legislation and Central Government policy, is published for consultation.

RECOMMENDED:

That the Homelessness and Rough Sleepers Strategy, as attached as Appendix 1 to Report Item 6 to the Cabinet, be approved for consultation.

The Cabinet considered a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy to respond to homelessness in the District, new legislation and Central Government policy.   In particular the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 placed new duties on local authorities to provide effective advice and assistance to all applicants who approached the Council, whether they were considered to be vulnerable or not.  It also introduced new duties to prevent and relieve homelessness.  The Government’s own Rough Sleeping Strategy, published in August 2018, declared the intention of ending all rough sleeping by 2027 and required local authorities to amend their homelessness strategies, by the end of 2019, to include specific measures to address rough sleeping.

The Strategy identified 4 priorities for addressing homelessness through responding to the challenges faced in the New Forest.  The priorities recognised the need to increase the provision of council-owned emergency accommodation across the District to minimise disruption to the households involved and also to reduce the cost to the Council.

In accordance with the legislative requirements the Strategy needed to be subject to consultation with those authorities and organisations the Council deemed appropriate.  It was proposed that this consultation would take place early in the New Year with the responses being considered by the Cabinet and the Council in April 2019.

RECOMMENDED:

That the Homelessness and Rough Sleepers Strategy, as attached as Appendix 1 to Report Item 6 to the Cabinet, be approved for consultation.