Subject:

Questions

Date of Meeting:

16 September 2020

Report of:

Executive Lead Officer for Strategy, Governance & Law

Contact Officer:

Name:

Shaun Hughes

Tel:

01273 293059

 

E-mail:

shaun.hughes@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Wards Affected:

All

 

 

FOR GENERAL RELEASE

 

 

1.               SUMMARY AND POLICY CONTEXT:

 

1.1            To receive any questions submitted to Democratic Services.

 

2.         RECOMMENDATIONS:

 

2.2           That the Committee responds to the questions.

 

3.         Questions:

 

3.1              Question to Housing Committee (16 Sept 2020)

 

If the City receives the funding from the Ministry to expand its Housing First provision, what implementation plans have been developed to deliver the expansion? The City’s current commitments to expand Housing First have been slow to realise, with some clients still not having been allocated the housing – how does the Committee plan to reduce the waiting times for housing for people who are accepted onto any future expansion of the Housing First service?

 

3.2              Agenda Item 100 - Commissioning of a Housing First Service for Single Homeless People

It is good to see that BHCC are taking steps to increase the number of people being supported by the Housing First initiative.

Item 1.4 mentions that a bid was made to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for an additional £312,000 to fund Housing First Units.

As the outcome of the bid is currently unknown, and that there may be limited scope for making “efficiencies” in the wider Housing related support budget (as item 7.4) what Contingency Plan does BHCC have in place, should the bid to the MHCLG for £312k be unsuccessful, or only partially successful?"

Supplementary question: Items 3.17 and 3.18 indicate the time taken for someone to successfully bid for a property via the CIQ route (e.g. average 8 months or more and that six of the ten Housing First clients nominated in summer last year have not yet been allocated a property).

This would seem to be a major obstacle to the success of the Housing First initiative!

What steps are BHCC considering, to overcome this issue?"

3.3               

The evictions report states a massive number of those in emergency accommodation have been assessed with needs for supported type accommodation, we have clients revealing the support is simply not there. £250k spent on welfare officers who are dealing with disrepair issues, this committee has heard the horror stories in the past.

Will the council admit the privatisation model for homelessness accommodation has been a massive headache and failure? 

 

3.4              For a long, long time, 6 years in fact, I feel I’ve been forgotten. I live in emergency accommodation provided  by baron homes and would like to state on public record in order to get a question submitted today I have been asked to significantly change the nature of my question, which I agree to in the hope my case is resolved and changes happen to help others in my position.

I’ve had enough of being bitten at night by bedbugs at my accommodation, this is a long running issue. If it’s not disrepair issues, its being prevented from receiving my own personal care support, this affects us all.  

Can the council please provide an explanation why we have to live like this?