An innovative new approach is set to be launched by Islington Council that seeks to work towards ending rough sleeping in the borough. 

Despite ongoing national Tory Government funding cuts, which have seen the Council lose 70 per cent of its core national government funding since 2010, the Islington Labour-led Council will increase the provision of emergency accommodation for rough sleepers with medium to high support needs, and provide extra support for those with complex needs, including additional mental health support.

At the heart of the Council’s new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2023 remains the commitment to building more new council homes for local people, which will see at least 550 new council homes built by 2022, as part of 1,900 new genuinely affordable homes that will be built in the borough over the next three years.

Cllr Diarmaid Ward, Executive Member for Housing & Development, said:

“Homelessness and rough sleeping shouldn’t exist and it is shameful that so many people find themselves in such dire circumstances.

 

“Our innovative plans will see more tailored support offered to those people who are at risk of becoming homeless, as I believe preventing homelessness is always the best approach.

 

“We will continue to support anyone who is sleeping rough by offering routes into secure housing that are backed-up with the one-to-one support that people need.

 

“Crucially, we will continue building the largest number of new council homes in Islington for over 30 years, which helps local people to secure a new genuinely affordable and secure home, whilst also freeing up more homes for people in severe housing need.”

Under the Tory Government, rough sleeping has increased by 165% since 2010 across England, and by approximately 8% in Islington since 2013/14.

In 2017/18, Islington Council successfully prevented 514 households from becoming homeless by providing rental deposits to those who need them, negotiating with private sector landlords on behalf of tenants, and providing advice and employment support for those with housing concerns.

Top 10 highlights in the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2023:

1. Continue building much-needed new council homes and genuinely affordable homes for local people – including at least 550 new council homes by 2022 – and provide support to help people downsize.
2. Reduce the use of private sector temporary accommodation by bringing a greater amount back ‘in-house’ – the Council will purchase at least 50 properties for temporary accommodation over the next year, helping to improve the standard of temporary accommodation.
3. Enhance the Council’s mediation service to reduce homelessness caused by exclusion from family members’ or friends’ homes, and private sector tenancy terminations, including working with agencies to support those at risk as a result of domestic violence and abuse.
4. Support private sector tenants to help raise awareness of their rights and responsibilities, to tackle issues such as retaliatory evictions and rogue landlords.
5. Work in collaboration with landlords to encourage lettings to households in receipt of Housing Benefit/Universal Credit in the private sector.
6. Utilising the Council’s newly created street population co-ordinator role to tackle the street population issues through the use of problem-solving, and collaborative working with partners and the community.
7. Increase provision of existing emergency accommodation for rough sleepers with medium and high support needs.
8. Provide additional support to entrenched and hard to engage rough sleepers with complex needs, helping them to access health services, including additional mental health support.
9. Providing additional wrap around support to No Recourse to Public Fund rough sleepers to ensure they are able to exercise treaty rights, and are supported by other council services and voluntary sector services where appropriate.
10. Build on and further develop the council’s ‘Housing First’ pilot housing rough sleepers or former rough sleepers with high support needs.

The new strategy is set to be agreed at the Council’s Executive meeting on 21st March 2019.