Agenda item - Brighton & Hove Rough Sleeping Strategy 2016

25.1    Andy Staniford, Housing Strategy Manager; Alistair Hill, Public Health Consultant; and Brian Doughty, Head of Adult Assessment, introduced the report.

25.2    Cllr Barford asked a question on behalf of Cllr Penn (who had left the meeting) about housing support for patients in acute mental health beds prior to their discharge. Mr Doughty replied that the Mental Health Homeless Team liaises with colleagues at Mill View hospital, and that delivery of the Rough Sleeper Strategy will include the active involvement of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT). Mr Hill added that the support provided by the pathway programme in place in Royal Sussex County Hospital will be rolled out to Mill View also. There had also been a recent focus on providing mental health support in hostels. This included a focus on staff support needs and a focus on creating living environments that are not injurious to clients’ mental health. John Child added that there is a well-established discharge team at Mill View and an SPFT worker embedded in the council’s Housing Options team.

25.3    In response to a question from Cllr Barford about support for people leaving detox, Mr Doughty did not have the information to hand but agreed to provide it subsequent to the meeting.

25.4    Pinaki Ghoshal commented that there appeared to be little in the strategy addressing the needs of care leavers, but that this was an important issue that needed addressing.

25.5    Graham Bartlett told members that he would bring a desktop review of rough sleeper safeguarding to the Board in due course, but that it would initially be presented to the council’s Rough Sleeper Strategy Group. A Safeguarding Adults review concerning a homeless person will be reported to the Board in the autumn.

25.6    Denise D’Souza commented that key to the success of any strategy would be getting clients to actually move-on from hostel accommodation. Currently this does not always happen as it should.

25.7    RESOLVED – that the Board endorse the Rough Sleeping Strategy 2016.