Agenda item - Homeless & Rough Sleeper accommodation next steps

Joint report of the Interim Executive Director for Housing, Neighbourhoods & Communities and the Executive Director for Health & Adult Social Care.

RESOLVED: That the Committee agreed -

(i)             The next steps and moving to the next phase of accommodation so that people are not at risk of returning to the street when restrictions are lifted.

(ii)            To enter into contract [Licence to Occupy] with the University of Brighton for 222 units of student accommodation as move on from initial accommodation acquired under Covid-19 Urgency Powers.

5.1      The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods & Communities and the Executive Director Health & Adult Social Care which set out the risks and opportunities of accommodation for rough sleepers under the current Covid 19 restrictions and the need to ensure that those who were homeless were in safe accommodation.

5.2      The Chair noted that there was also a Part Two Item (Item 6) on the agenda which contained confidential information relating to this report, and said that if the Members wished to discuss that information the meeting would go to closed session. Both Councillors Bell and Mac Cafferty said that they were content to only refer to Part One issues.

5.3      Councillor Mac Cafferty suggested that this may be an opportunity to house and work with all rough sleepers to stop them returning to the streets. He asked who was leading on the personal housing plans, whether there could be an out of hours contact for enquiries from local residents and whether the re-housing numbers could be monitored and fed back to Councillors so they could check that the relevant goals had been achieved. The Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods & Communities said that the longer-term plan was set out in section 7 of the report and that there would be a more detailed report coming to the Housing Committee in July 2020. The housing plans were the responsibility of the Council, but officers would also be working with other relevant parties. The issue of an out of hours contact point was raised earlier by ward councillors and that would be followed up, and with regard to re-housing there would be a report going to the July 2020 Housing Committee on that issue.

5.4      Councillor Bell referred to plan to relocate provision to the University of Sussex and noted that there were few amenities in that area and asked what support would be given. He asked what the plans would be after 4^th September 2020, and added that there were a high number of people on the waiting list for social housing and asked for assurance that they would not be overlooked. The Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods & Communities said that they would be using the halls of residence at the University of Brighton, rather than Sussex University, and there were more amenities in that area and the Council would be working with the local Ward Councillors. He said that the Council were looking at plans after 4th September 2020, and there would be a more detailed report at the Housing Committee meeting in July.  Those on the waiting list would remain a focus for the Authority, and the continued intention was to provide more housing.

5.5      The Chair said there needed to be a solution to the national housing crisis, and everyone wanted to find a permanent solution and not to have people sleeping on the streets again.

5.6      RESOLVED: That the Committee agreed -

(i)             The next steps and moving to the next phase of accommodation so that people are not at risk of returning to the street when restrictions are lifted.

(ii)            To enter into contract [Licence to Occupy] with the University of Brighton for 222 units of student accommodation as move on from initial accommodation acquired under Covid-19 Urgency Powers.