Agenda item

To consider the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26.

The Housing Needs Manager  presented a report on Burnley`s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 which was to be considered by the Executive at its next meeting.

She explained that the Council had a statutory duty to publish a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy to cover the five year period 2021-26 to ensure that the borough had a comprehensive strategy to effectively prevent and relieve homelessness and rough sleeping across the borough.

The strategy comprised three separate but sequential documents which were the strategy, the action plan and review and these were appended to the report for consideration.

Members made the following comments and asked questions

·         Clarification was sought on the percentage figures detailed on page 79 of the agenda.

The Officer would check and report back to the member concerned.

What advice and support can the Council offer when someone is not paying their rent?

Officers would look at their circumstances aabout why they were not paying rent and offer help and  advice in order to reach out to people at an early stage to prevent homelessness. This is an area that the Council will be looking at as part of the action plan.

From April 2021 there will only be a paper bond offered by the Council and not a monetary one.  Which of the two is most successful?  The paper bond is guaranteed.

A paper bond is guaranteed and has been offered by the Council for many years.  The Government made funds available to Councils in September 2020 to assist during the pandemic and monetary bonds were implemented to encourage landlords to accommodate the homeless, however this will end in March 2021. Properties are scarce at present and the main issue has been to find suitable properties, it is difficult to say which is most successful.  

·         To acknowledge the work of officers  but to mention that there ought to be a link worker whose sole focus would be to collect all information of the statutory, voluntary and faith agencies to provide a holistic approach.

·         Under the action plan at 3(5) and 4(1) and (2) and consultation and can mental health be incorporated under the multi discipline health and support needs audit and include grass roots people in the consultation process.

The Officer reported that MDT meetings were held every fortnight and a health practitioner attends and mental health is covered.

·         It would be useful to have a diagram that anyone could access showing the links between all organisations and how they operate together.  The communication is most important and to have all the information in one place to tap into the available resources will make a difference and  would help direct people to the right place.

Currently, such a document is not available.  Following a request outside of the meeting from Councillor Foster, Wilma to provide information.

·         The report states that private rented properties were increasing but the figures were from 10 years ago.  A lot of landlords are leaving due to onerous difficulties.  Concerned the private sector will start to decline which would create a greater gap. 

·         It would be useful for Scrutiny review Group to consider the minutes/note of the Private Rented Sector meetings and to recommend they made available on-line.

This suggestion would be passed to the Executive Member for Housing

·         It is concerning that it is easier for the housing team to access private rented housing than social housing, the social housing arm should be making this more simple and taking people in. 

The Officer would contact the members to discuss further.

Councillor Martin asked that it be recorded that he believed Councillor Baker as a landlord and estate agent ought to have declared a pecuniary interest and withdrawn from the meeting for this item .

IT WAS AGREED

That the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-21 be recommended to the Executive for approval.