Agenda item

A presentation on housing relevant to the Salisbury area and an update on homelessness following our themed meeting in 2018.

Officer: Nicole Smith, Head of Housing Operations

Nicole Smith, Head of Housing Operations delivered a presentation on housing relevant to the Salisbury area and gave an update on homelessness following the themed meeting the Board held last year.

The Council had spent the last 12 months updating its Strategy and were currently in consultation across Wiltshire. The Strategy was not a standalone document, the Council was working with its partners to take this forward.

The term homelessness was often considered to apply to those people ‘sleeping rough’, but we were considering the wider context for this review. 

Crisis defines Homelessness as follows:-

“Homelessness is about more than rooflessness.  A home is not just a physical space, it also has a legal and social dimension.  A home provides roots, identity, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing.  Homelessness is about the loss of all these.  It is an isolating and destructive experience and homeless people are some of the most vulnerable and social excluded in our society”

Wiltshire is a place where we all work together to strengthen our communities, to prevent and relieve homelessness and rough sleeping

Our Aims

Homelessness: Working together to help prevent homelessness and where homelessness cannot be avoided help people secure and keep a suitable home

Rough Sleeping:  Working together to help reduce the number of people who were rough sleeping

• To reduce rough sleeping
• To identify and prevent homelessness at the earliest possible stage
• To ensure services are designed to prevent homelessness and support those who are homeless.
• To ensure those who are threatened with homelessness or who are homeless can secure and keep a suitable home.
• To maintain effective strategic direction and partnership working

Rough Sleeper Initiative funding (RSI)

•       RSI funding 2018/19 £312,245  2019/20  £305,491

•       Rough sleeping outreach team x 6 – with a dedicated officer for Salisbury - Laura Woodhouse

•       Trowbridge 7 bed winter provision

•       6 intensive support bed spaces

•       10 winter provision in Chippenham

•       18 Severe weather places

•       Personal budget and private let funding

Comments and Questions included:

·       Salisbury had a significant problem with rough sleeping with 40% of all rough sleepers in Wiltshire in the Salisbury area. I spoke to sleepers in Catherine Street, they told me that all of the hostel provision was full at the start of March. I have met Laura Woodhouse, who was doing a good job, if people report rough sleepers she will go and find those people. The role of the drop-in centre at Alabare was essential, it gives people dignity and security, that was a major step in beginning to engage with people and get to the root of what their problems are. Answer: Street.org.uk is an online service where you can report sightings of homeless people. It gets reported nationally and then we are emailed with the details for our area. We go out immediately. This was a really important tool that we should all be actively using. In Salisbury we have a couple of clients that have been offered places which have not been successful, so there are options for all rough sleepers but they may not be the options that they want at that time. We have a Rough Sleepers Engagement Group, this was a strategic group working with partners. We may get the opportunity for additional funding and I can work with Alabare to increase the days at their centre.

·       What was the benefit of the extra Officers and the funding? Answer:  Within the last 6 months we have produced regular reports to central government, we have been very successful, we have 4 or 5 rough sleepers that we have been working with for many years. We have been able to adapt transitions for them to get them into accommodation. I can provide the figures outside of the meeting if you would like them.

·       The term homelessness, I have been shocked to see people living in caravans and sheds, are these the type of people that our Officer can be directed to for help? Answer: Yes report it, use Streetlink or report it to us directly.

·       We read in the paper about cuckooing, is this an issue? Answer: Police - This is a term used for people that come in from outside an area and use violence and drugs to take advantage of vulnerable people. We have been targeting this and have made arrests. These incidents are few and far between.

·       With regards to younger people, how many fit the homeless definition in Salisbury, as the younger ones are the ones who need assistance to help them from getting in to trouble? Answer: That is information we have, but I would need to put it together and so could provide that after the meeting if you wished.  Rough Sleepers were all aged 25 plus. We have the Foyer which was a young person’s facility with approximately 20 beds.

·       Were the rough sleepers also subject to the 2 year rule? Answer: We do not have a blanket policy, and look at each case on its own merits. Their intention when we get them off the street is that they are keen and full of good intentions, but then they struggle once we get them off the street. We then need to work with them to help further.