Agenda item - PROPOSALS REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HOMELESSNESS REDUCTION ACT 2017

REPORT OF THE HEAD OF HOUSING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION

To consider proposals regarding the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the proposed measures outlined in Section 8.3 of the report, so as to enable the Council to prepare for the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and discharge its new duties as regards the prevention and relief of homelessness, be approved;

(2) That the Head of Housing and Public Protection, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, be delegated the power to deploy any unallocated Flexible Homelessness Support Grant in order to best meet increased demand for homelessness services;

(3) That the Head of Housing and Public Protection, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, be delegated the power to deploy new burdens funding when it becomes available; and

(4) That the housing services base budget for 2017/18 and beyond be amended, so that the current annual allocation of £6,000 for project work be reallocated to support homelessness prevention activity,

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Council, acting in its capacity as the Local Housing Authority (LHA), to deploy its resources to best effect in order to meet the legal obligations contained within the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health presented a report of the Head of Housing and Public Protection in respect of proposals regarding the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The following appendix was submitted with the report:

Appendix 1 – Powerpoint slides from Andy Gale Housing Consultant.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health advised that the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which would come into effect on 1 April 2018, was the most significant change to homelessness legislation in the last 40 years. It was expected to result in a doubling of applications to local authorities for homelessness assistance, for the reasons set out in the report.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health stated that a similar scheme had been operating in Wales for a short time had seen a 26% increase in the number of homelessness applications, but the expectation for England was that this percentage would be much higher.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health explained that the challenge for local authorities would be a significantly increased officer workload. However, the Government was providing NHDC with a flexible homeless support grant (£124,459 for 2017/18 and £140,930 for 2018/19) to assist with the process. The funding situation after 2018/19 was currently uncertain, although may well be dependent upon the levels of success in the first two years. In addition, transitional “new burdens” funding had been earmarked for a two year period starting in 2018/19, with NHDC’s allocation expected to be in the region of £50,000 to £70,000.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health commented that the report sought the Cabinet’s approval to allocate the aforementioned funds. He referred to the Table set out in paragraph 10.2 of the report, which showed that the proposal was to split the funding between increased in-house officer capacity (£186,800) and a rough sleeper outreach project (£70,000). A major objective would be to endeavour to source and maintain a supply of private rented sector accommodation for the homeless, although it was acknowledged that this could prove very challenging.

The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, assisted by the Head of Housing and Public Protection and Strategic Housing Manager, answered a number of Members’ questions on the report.