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Fareham Borough Council's Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy sets out the aims and objectives of the Council and its partners to address homelessness.
We will achieve these aims and objectives by concentrating our efforts and resources on four priorities to ensure we deliver services which focus on early intervention and the prevention of homelessness, backed up by high quality joined up support to get people back on their feet when things do go wrong.
1. Meeting Demand
2. Providing Solutions
3. Preventing Homelessness & Supporting Tenancies
4. Ending Rough Sleeping
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Meeting Demand
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What we will do |
Lead Officer |
When we will do it
|
Resources needed |
Intended outcomes
|
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1 |
Use local and national data and benchmarking information to determine service development and delivery.
|
Head of Housing & Benefits |
April 2023 |
Staff time |
Understanding of positive practice and policy.
|
|
2 |
Monitor demand across all sets of indicators |
Head of Housing & Benefits
Housing Options Support Officer
Housing Scrutiny Panel |
April 2023 |
Staff time |
Understand the pressures and demands affecting Housing Options Team.
Allocate resources effectively to meet demand.
|
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3 |
Conduct regular casework reviews to ensure consistency of decisions and compliance with legal framework and to identify potential areas for training and improvement.
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing Manager (Allocations and Accommodation)
|
Quarterly from April 2022 |
Staff time |
All staff working consistently.
All staff working in a procedurally compliant way.
Performance issued addressed.
Training needs addressed.
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4 |
All staff to receive training to ensure they have the skills to deliver excellent customer service.
Ensure staff can identify and assist customers who have specific needs and/or protected characteristics |
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing Manager (Allocations and Accommodation)
|
April 2022 ongoing |
Staff time and training budget |
Delivery of training resulting in a fully skilled Housing Options Team.
Officers are skilled in negotiation, confidence building, motivating, and supporting customers.
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5 |
Review and improve the range and quality of online housing advice with consideration given to "off the shelf" self-help IT packages
|
Housing Options Support Officer |
July 2022 |
Staff time
C. £5k PA for external IT package
|
Improved range and quality of online housing advice.
Increased 'self-serve' opportunities.
|
|
6 |
Collect and analyse statistics on hidden homelessness |
Housing Options Support Officer |
October 2022 |
Staff time |
Inform bespoke interventions to help those who are sofa surfing
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|
7 |
Analyse quarterly, the rate of major decisions and acceptances, looking at what action was taken to prevent and/or relieve homelessness and whether anything more might have been done
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice) |
January 2023 ongoing |
Staff time |
Improved outcomes for customers
|
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8 |
Continue to work with the Hampshire-wide Strategic Housing Officers Group (SHOG) to collaborate on performance, benchmarking and joint commissioning
|
Head of Housing & Benefits |
Ongoing |
Staff time |
Development and continuous improvement of joint work arrangements, sharing of positive practice and policy.
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|
9 |
Explore the reasons why we lose contact with people we are working with
|
Housing Options Support Officer |
October 2022 |
Staff time |
Fewer households lose contact with the service without any clear understanding of why they have disengaged.
Prevention and relief of homelessness for those customers who disengage.
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Providing Solutions
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Action |
Lead Officer |
Timescale |
Resources Needed
|
Intended Outcomes
|
|
01 |
Formulate and publish a Temporary Accommodation Procurement Policy and a Temporary Accommodation Allocation Policy
|
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation) |
January 2023 |
Staff time
|
The Council meets all requirements set out in legislation and due regard to statutory guidance
|
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02 |
In conjunction with the Council's private sector housing service, consult with private rented sector landlords to understand what could be done to prevent the end of an assured shorthold tenancies |
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
Principle Environmental Health Officer
|
July 2023 |
Staff time
Consultation costs (existing budget) |
Reduction in the number of people approaching the Housing Options Team for assistance as their private rented sector tenancy is ending
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02 |
Use data held by the Council about occupants of TA, about household formation, needs of children and last settled address to inform future procurement of temporary accommodation
|
Housing Options Support Officer |
July 2022 |
Staff time |
A portfolio of suitable and affordable temporary accommodation that meets the needs of customers
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03 |
Increase the number of households whose main duty is ended by an offer of suitable private rented housing, HMO or lodgings
|
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
Benefits Assessment Manager
|
September 2024 |
Staff time
Discretionary Housing Payments
Further revenue expenditure £tbc to fund private sector access initiatives
|
Increased move-on from temporary accommodation into the private rented sector |
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05 |
Continue to promote the FareLets scheme and ensure it is adequately resourced
|
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
Housing Options Support Officer
|
Ongoing |
Staff time
Advertising costs (existing budget) |
A successful scheme that supports both landlords and tenants.
Increased options for customers in the privately rented sector.
|
|
06 |
Formulate a new Tenancy Strategy
|
Head of Housing & Benefits
Head of Housing Delivery
|
October 2023 |
Existing |
To support the delivery of the priorities within the Council's Allocations Policy and Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy
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|
07 |
Explore consultation opportunities to learn from people with lived experience of homelessness |
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
|
September 2023
|
Staff time |
Service users' experiences and views shape and inform policy and practice for tackling homelessness
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Preventing Homelessness & Supporting Tenancies
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Action |
Lead Officer |
Timescale |
Resources needed
|
Intended Outcomes
|
|
1 |
Monitor annually the reasons for loss of last settled home outcomes of households |
Housing Options Support Officer |
April 2023
|
Staff time |
Track long-term trends to inform future prevention and relief activities
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|
2 |
Gather intelligence on child poverty rate at a ward level
|
Housing Options Support Officer |
July 2024
|
Staff time |
Identify which areas might be targeted for early interventions to prevent homelessness
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3 |
Continue to monitor employment circumstances of people seeking homeless assistance from the Council |
Housing Options Support Officer |
October 2023 ongoing
|
Staff time |
Inform plans for early interventions to prevent homelessness
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4 |
Review the range, effectiveness and quality of initiatives being used to prevent and relieve homelessness |
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
|
October 2023 |
Staff time |
Identify areas for improvement
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5 |
Improve how the Council works with other public organisations to fulfil the Duty to Refer, such as:
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing Options Support Officer
Hampshire Strategic Housing Officers Group/Hampshire Housing Officers Group |
October 2022 |
Staff time |
Earlier identification of people who are at risk of homelessness.
Instances of homelessness arising when people are discharged from institutions are absolutely minimised
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6 |
Ensure there continues to be funding for independent housing rights assistance (currently provided by Citizens Advice Fareham)
|
Head of Housing & Benefits
Leisure & Community Manager
|
Ongoing |
Existing budgets |
Provision of independent and impartial advice
|
|
7 |
Improve joint working with other public bodies by adopting protocols and shared working relationships:
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
Housing Options Support Officer
|
January 2023 ongoing |
Staff time
External agency staff time and commitment
|
Positive working relationships with agencies.
Identification of specific professionals to maintain contact with each agency.
Partner agencies liaise positively to enable customers to access appropriate services.
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8 |
Investigate further as to why levels of prevention activity have fallen since the introduction of the HRA17
|
Housing Options Support Officer |
April 2024 |
Staff time |
Identify areas for improvement
|
|
9 |
Adopt a pre-eviction protocol with all local housing associations |
Housing Options Support Officer
Housing Association partners |
July 2022 |
Staff time
Housing Associations time and commitment |
Housing Associations are contacting the Housing Options Team at an early stage to prevent problems accumulating and enabling tenants to sustain their tenancy and prevent future evictions.
Reduced numbers of Housing Association tenants triggering a prevention or relief duty as a result of being served notice by their landlord.
Housing Association tenants know where and when to seek help to ensure their tenancies are not at risk.
|
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10 |
Explore opportunities with the Tenancy Services Team, Private Sector Housing Team and other neighbourhood-based services, to identify at an early stage those at risk of losing their accommodation and to develop new ways to help people remain in their existing home.
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Neighbourhood Manager
Private Sector Housing Team
Community Safety Team
|
October 2023 |
Staff time |
More targeted prevention work with households to prevent homelessness |
|
11 |
Improve recording of main reasons for loss of settled home
|
Housing Options Support Officer
|
April 2024 ongoing |
Staff time |
Identify areas for improvement
|
|
12 |
Share data collected on support needs with key stakeholders |
Housing Manager (Options & Advice) |
April 2023 ongoing |
Staff time |
Inform discussions about future joint working arrangements and commissioning of suitable support services for those at risk of homelessness
|
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Ending Rough Sleeping
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|
|
Action |
Lead Officer |
Timescale |
Resources needed
|
Intended Outcomes
|
|
1 |
Increase the parameter of matters monitored via the annual rough sleeping count carried out every November. |
Housing Options Support Officer |
November 2022
|
Staff time |
To better understand how many people have newly flowed onto the streets, how many are stuck sleeping rough and how many are experiencing a repeat occurrence of street homelessness
|
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2 |
Build on the existing success of tackling street homelessness through the delivery of additional move-on accommodation and, working with the Partnership Action Group, embed the Housing First model
|
Housing Manager (Allocations & Accommodation)
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Housing First Delivery Group
|
July 2022 |
Staff time
Rough Sleeping Initiative Funding |
The most vulnerable and complex rough sleepers are brought inside and do not return to the street.
|
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3 |
Work with Hampshire County Council Adult Services with regard to the commissioning of homelessness services |
Head of Housing & Benefits
Two Saints
Hampshire County Council Adult Services |
April 2022 ongoing |
Staff time |
New/revised County funded homelessness service provision and accommodation in Fareham from April 2023 (end of current contract)
|
|
4 |
Ensure there continues to be adequate Outreach and Complex Needs provision to include:
|
Housing Manager (Options & Advice)
Two Saints |
April 2022 ongoing |
Staff time
Homeless Prevention Grant
Rough Sleeping Initiative Funding |
Effective pathways for rough sleepers to enable them to move from the street to independent and sustainable accommodation. |
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