Exeter gets share of £654,000 to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in Exeter received a big boost today with news that the city has won part of £654,000 government funding.

Working closely with homelessness providers and partners in the community and voluntary sector, along with East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge District Councils, Exeter will receive a share of the pot to help prevent homelessness through innovative solutions and tackle rough sleeping in the city.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for Customer Access, said the grant was a fantastic early Christmas present for Exeter. “We are committed to ensuring that everyone in Exeter has a roof over their head and that rough sleeping becomes a thing of the past.

“There is much work to be done but this money will help us work with those threatened with homelessness so that we can prevent it happening in the first place.”

The funding is split into two grants:
• Exeter City Council, East Devon District Council (EDDC), Teignbridge District Council (TDC) and Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) has been identified as one of the 28 new ‘trailblazer’ areas across the country and secured £359,000 collectively as part of a £50 million programme aimed at preventing people from becoming homeless.

• Exeter City Council working with EDDC, TDC and MDDC, as well as homelessness providers such as Julian House and St Petrocks, has won £295,000 to help tackle rough sleeping.

The grants will help the local authorities to understand why people are on the streets, their life experience and how best they can be assisted to move away from living on the streets. There will be a strong emphasis on prevention, finding solutions for families and individuals before they end up sleeping rough.

The initiative will focus on reducing unnecessary duplication between services and the introduction of early targeted support for those at risk and experiencing issues such as redundancy, illness or disability.

The new programme will work with a wide range of partners, across councils, the community sector, hospitals and the courts system to prevent households from homelessness through direct support and assistance. The overriding focus will be on the individual being encouraged to take ownership of their own housing need.

Today’s funding comes from the new £50 million programme to provide an innovative approach to tackling homelessness, with prevention at its heart, announced by Prime Minister Theresa May and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid in October.

Further reading: 
My Storify feed on the issue: 21/12/16 | Homelessness Trailblazer Fund

Homelessness Prevention Programme

 

The Prime Minister and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid have announced a £40m Homelessness Prevention Programme.

Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Councll have been invited to bid for funds for the Trailblazers Fund [see below] and will be looking at all options to further develop our integrated approach across the local area, in line with the joint Homelessness Strategy.

They plan to contact key partners and commissioners to develop robust proposals, as they recognise the benefits of a strong multi-agency partnership and the importance of local services to help prevent homelessness and to achieve better long term outcomes for those who find themselves homeless.

Homelessness Prevention Programme
The new £40 million Homelessness Prevention Programme announced on Monday 17 October 2016 is designed to build on the Government’s strategy for preventing homelessness, which includes the following targets:
o Increasing central funding to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million;
o Protecting homelessness prevention funding for local authorities at £315 million by 2019 to 2020; and
o Providing £100 million for at least 2,000 low cost accommodation places, for rough sleepers leaving hostel accommodation and domestic abuse victims and their families moving on from refuges.

The programme consists of three funding streams:

1. Trailblazers Funding

This will provide £20 million of grant funding across 2016 to 2017, 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. Local authorities will be invited to bid either singularly, or in collaboration. This will give local authorities the resources to ramp up prevention and take new approaches to reduce homelessness, including:
o Collaborating with other services to identify at-risk households, and target interventions well before they are threatened with eviction;
o Helping people earlier than the statutory 28 days when they are threatened with the loss of their home;
o Offering that help to a wider group of people than just those owed the main homelessness duty;
o Testing new, innovative approaches to preventing homelessness to help build an evidence base on what works and test the effects of these approaches in different areas.

2. Rough Sleeping Grant Funding

This will provide up to £10 million to local authorities over three years: 2016 to 2017, 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. This funding will help those new to the streets, or at imminent risk of sleeping rough, by:
o Reducing the flow of new rough sleepers to the street, through more targeted prevention activity aimed at those at imminent risk of sleeping rough – this will build on the No First Night Out pilot being delivered in the tri-borough of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and City of London;
o Helping new rough sleepers off the street and into independence, through more rapid crisis interventions and support to access and sustain move-on accommodation – this will build on the rollout of the No Second Night Out approach through the Homelessness Transition Fund, which ran from 2011 to 2014.

3. Rough Sleeping Social Impact Bond Funding

This will provide up to £10 million of outcomes funding for locally commissioned Social Impact Bonds. Local authorities will be able to bid for an allocation of the funding to use to commission a Social Impact Bond within a geographic area. This funding will then be paid out on outcomes achieved by named cohorts of individuals, including outcomes around:
o Accommodation;
o Employment and education;
o Mental health; and
o Substance misuse.

Support will be provided for an anticipated 1,500 to 2,000 individuals through 5 to 10 locally commissioned Social Impact Bonds. These individuals will be long-term rough sleepers, or those entrenched within hostels and temporary accommodation.

The prospectus and application forms for all three funding streams can be found at Homelessness Prevention Programme

Completed bids should be submitted by email by Monday 28 November 2016.

There are two different email addresses:
o Applications for Trailblazing funding should go to: h&senquiries@communities.gsi.gov.uk; while
o Applications for the rough sleeping grant and social impact bond funding should be sent to: roughsleeping@communities.gsi.gov.uk.

Contact details for the Fund are:
Homelessness Prevention
Rough Sleeping Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
Tel: 020 7944 4400
Email: roughsleeping@communities.gsi.gov.uk

FURTHER READING:
A Homelessness Strategy for Exeter and Teignbridge

Homelessness Strategy: Business Impact Assessment

Homelessness Strategy: Consultation “You said, we did”

Homelessness Strategy: Consultation Summary

Exeter Citizen | Tackling homelessness

Tackling homelessness

People can have their say on a raft of initiatives to tackle homelessness in Exeter and Teignbridge.

Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Council have drawn up a draft Homelessness Strategy to address the issue. Members of the public have a chance to comment on the strategy, with the consultation ending on 28 March.

The City Council is committed to bring rough sleeping to an end and is determined to help those without a roof over their heads to turn their lives around.

Much of the focus of the strategy is the importance of working together with wider statutory and voluntary organisations to address homelessness.

Among the initiatives within the strategy are the following:

• Launch a referral service for private landlords to help save private rented tenancies when things start to go wrong
• Develop alternatives to Bed & Breakfast accommodation in an emergency for families and young people.
• Consider the design of accommodation options for rough sleepers to provide alternatives for those unable to access current provision
• Review the impact of Safe Sleep winter provision and determine whether a Night Shelter model is a viable option in the local area to provide emergency accommodation.
• Improve awareness and quality of leaflets and guides about homelessness, and how to get help.
• Pilot a Housing First  model of accommodation for entrenched rough sleepers to provide options for those who are failed by existing services.
• Trial the provision of services outside of the Council offices where clients are more likely to engage.

The strategy can be viewed at:
https://www.exeter.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/consultations-and-petitions/joint-exeter-and-teignbridge-homelessness-strategy/

You can see the strategy and fill in a brief survey by following this link to the Teignbridge website www.teignbridge.gov.uk/policy

 

ECC Media Release | Drop-in event gives people chance to have their say on homelessness

 

 

 

16 March 2016

Drop-in event gives people chance to have their say on homelessness

People in Exeter can find out what is being done in the city to assist those who are homeless at a drop-in event next week.

The City Council – working in partnership with Teignbridge District Council – has drawn up a Homelessness Strategy for Exeter and Teignbridge.

As part of the Strategy the public are being asked for their views on a raft of initiatives put forward to prevent homelessness.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for Customer Access, said: “This is a great opportunity for people to drop in and see what we have been doing to address homelessness in the city and what plans we have for the future to address this important and complex issue.”

The event takes place at Exeter Guildhall in the High Street, on Thursday 24 March between 10am and 2pm. Everyone is welcome to attend and a number of partners such as St Petrocks and Julian House will be there to explain their role in the city.

Cllr Morse added: “As part of the Strategy we are committed to bring rough sleeping to an end. We are determined to help those without a roof over their head to turn their lives around.”

Much of the focus of the strategy is the importance of working together with wider statutory and voluntary organisations to address homelessness. Among the initiatives within the strategy are the following:

• Launch a referral service for private landlords to help save private rented tenancies when things start to go wrong

• Develop alternatives to bed & breakfast in an emergency for families and young people

• Consider the design of accommodation options for rough sleepers to provide options for those unable to access current provision

• Review the impact of ‘Safe Sleep’ winter provision and determine whether a night shelter model is a viable option in the local area to provide emergency accommodation

• Improve awareness and quality of leaflets and guides about homelessness and how to get help

• Pilot a ‘Housing First’ model of accommodation for entrenched rough sleepers to provide options for those who find it difficult to access and maintain existing services

• Trial a flexible advice service outside of the council offices where clients find it easier to engage

The public consultation ends on 28 March and people can either attend the Guildhall event and leave their feedback or visit the strategy on the City Council’s website at to have their say.

– Ends – 

Briefing on Exeter’s City Council’s Draft Homeless Strategy

The joint Exeter City and Teignbridge District Council Homelessness Strategy 2016 to 2021 sets out how the two councils, and their partners, will work together to address homelessness over the next five years. The strategy will look at our vision in addressing homelessness and will set out the actions we intend to take to help us reach our goals. It contains a review of the main challenges ahead and highlights key areas of positive work that we are currently delivering.

This is a wide-ranging and ambitious strategy that will require both councils to work together and continue to be open to new ways of tackling issues. . By working together with partners and stakeholders, we can better tackle homelessness and address some of its root causes, whilst maximising resources and delivering a better service.

One of the problems at present there are a number of organisations, agencies, partners and charities working in the area of addressing homelessness.

For example in the area of health provision there are 6 statutory agencies responsible for commissioning in this area, along with numerous grant aiding bodies and over 20 bodies delivering help. This leads to a mosaic of health provision which that strategy looks towards joining up in a more coherent fashion.

So working in partnership is key to the success of the strategy. We will continue to engage with the larger national organisations to provide context, as well as maintain and develop conversations with the smaller local organisations to develop a more joined up set of values and objectives. The strategy aims to develop these values and goals in recognition of national, regional and local policy and proposes a vision for the benefit of all our residents, stakeholders and partners.

The strategy combines both councils’ five year plan to prevent homelessness and improve the experience of those who become homeless locally. It is a call to action to partners and stakeholders to help us deliver, and develop, a more joined-up service to address homelessness in the area.

This strategy looks to deliver our services from a client, or customer, point of view and has been themed to reflect the broad range of work that we do to address homelessness. In this way we hope to break away from a department led approach.

The main themes are:
A Place to Live

This theme reviews the supply of accommodation in the local area and whether it is used effectively to meet local housing need.

2. Access to Services
This theme looks at how we offer services and engage with homeless people.

3. Health and Protection
This theme outlines how health and homelessness impact upon each other as well as the importance of protecting vulnerable people from violence and abuse.

4. Money Matters
This theme considers the financial pressures on local people facing in housing need and the wider homelessness sector

To ensure our strategic aims are linked to local needs they are framed within our themes

The consultation document goes into more detail,  outlining a proposed action plan which will be reviewed and refreshed annually to keep the strategy relevant.

#SWExeter Masterplan

The Comment section of the print edition of Express & Echo this week has an interesting article by Juliet Meadowcroft, Chair of Alphington Village Forum, New homes will destroy landscape. [Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear anywhere on E&E website!, but it is on Alphington Village Forum page].

E&E Comment | New homes will destroy landscape

Juliet’s Comment piece was written in response to an earlier E&E news item, New ‘city village’ will bring traffic chaos, says councillor [E&E Print edition, 04 June 2015], quoting Cllr Alan Connett.

In her article, Juliet makes reference to the LDA Design Masterplan for SW Exeter, a lengthy document published in 2012 whose purpose is to provide a framework to guide the future development of a sustainable urban extension to the south west of the City.

Juliet points out that the original masterplan showed “plenty of green space being left to the north of A379, including space for a primary school, but this has now all been changed”

SW Exeter Masterplan showing green space on boundary between Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Council areas

But that’s the problem with ALL masterplanning exercises – it’s a virtual jigsaw puzzle to show what could happen, rather than what would (or will) happen!

It’s a point made in the SW Exeter Masterplan itself:

7.0 Illustrative Masterplan
The illustrative masterplan is a tool to communicate how the application of the masterplan study could shape development in the growth area; it is not a detailed layout that responds to every aspect of the growth area in detail – it is simply to give an impression of how the area could be when developed. It shows one possible outcome of the application of the framework plans – other outcomes may be equally valid provided that the fundamental framework principles are adhered to.

As parts of the growth area come forward for development, individual masterplans or framework plans will need to be produced, reflecting the principles set out by the framework plans. As development is designed and takes place it will inevitably  evolve from that illustrated here to reflect the requirements, best practice, and market forces of the time. However, as long as development is guided by the masterplan frameworks, it should most importantly be deliverable and produce a sustainable and successful urban extentson.

Since the SW Masterplan was published [in 2011], more work has been carried out resulting in 2 documents published in 2014:
ECC – SW Alphington Development Brief; and
TDC – SW Exeter Development Framework
and these will plot the course of future development of SW Exeter.

One of the most serious aspects of development for SW Exeter revolves around transport issues.

Section 2.9 looks at current access and movement through SW Exeter, while Section 6.2 looks at the future access and movement framework.

While 6.2 sets out what is needed, the proposals were set out in less austere times, and there was the hope that there would be no problem in funding these requirements. My fear is that under the current funding regime, although the need is the same, the required funds will not be forthcoming.

Aphington Park & Ride – a delay

Earlier this week, I heard of plans to delay the submission of the Alphington P&R planning application.

It appears that due to the fact that  the consultation document for Teignbridge District Core Strategy process known as  Plan Teignbridge allows for a new P&R facility within the new Teignbridge SW Exeter development south of the A379

Devon County Council has been reviewing the timing of the submission of the additional information that is required for the Alphington P&R planning application and has decided to delay submission until May or June. This will allow DCC to assess the implications of the new park and ride site proposed in the Teignbridge Core Strategy.

The Development Management committee site visit and meeting will follow submission of the additional information.