Agenda item - Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Verbal Presentation

6.1 Cllr Nann, Cabinet Advisor on homelessness, and Aaron Burns, Head of Temporary & Supported Accommodation, presented to the committee. The main themes were: Statistics setting out the seriousness of the issue; national context of homelessness and the housing crisis; the context of the strategy and its emphasis on prevention; how to help those with multiple compound needs; the vision and priorities of both the Housing Strategy and the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy.

6.2 The committee asked a number of questions which included: the impact of Covid; the impact of short term lets on the housing market; the number of older homeless people and how they would be helped; youth homelessness; women being made homeless after having children taken into care; impact of moving customer services into libraries on those seeking housing support; Seaside Homes; the impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill on the private rental sector; reconnection policy; methods of engagement; prevention measures; identifying people who are homeless; if there were common data sets or definitions with other agencies; communication of the policy when being rolled out; increasing engagement.