To receive the above update.

David Scott, Head of CEP, stated there were two reports considered by Cabinet in November 2018. One was seeking approval for the updated Homelessness Strategy for the next five years and also an update on the Council’s housing allocations policy where the report was approved in October 2018.

In September 2018, Cabinet considered a report on Support Before Enforcement which meant the Council would adopt a support before enforcement stance, which would see positive outcomes for individuals and mechanisms on how the Council resolved problems. The recommendations were around the principal of support first and use enforcement as a last resort. Cabinet approved the proposals. The Council adopted the MEAM initiative and hired a MEAM Coordinator to provide intensive wraparound care. The Council received support from the national MEAM Scheme. A lot of work was done when working with individuals that were rough sleeping.

SWEP Protocol was approved at 22 November 2018 Cabinet which would provide additional support and offered emergency housing. There had been successes where individuals took up offers of accommodation.

A number of individuals that presented to the Council as homeless were not always homeless and so thorough checks on individuals were completed in line with our statutory duties,  to assess how the Council targeted vulnerable people whose circumstances varied.

Councillor Da Costa asked if the Council had assessed how much funding was required to provide care and facilities and what was being put aside. The Acting Managing Director confirmed the Council assess what it needed to implement the strategy for homelessness which was included in the housing budget. A report was taken to Cabinet in March 2018 to increase the budget in order to pay for the MEAM Coordinator.

Sally Wright of the Windsor Homeless Project (WHP) stated they were not told when SWEP was being implement. She asked if the Council had taken into consideration why their guests did not take up SWEP. Sally Wright stated it was because the accommodation was outside the area. The MEAM Coordinator was making a huge difference so she congratulated the Council for providing that service as it was money well spent.

The Acting Managing Director stated he understood that SWEP was communicated widely and if it was not, he apologised. He had had numerous discussions with WHP and other organisations regarding SWEP. With regards to the temporary emergency accommodation, the Council had reviewed its housing services and the approach taken by housing services to temporary and emergency accommodation. It had been decided to try not to place individuals outside of the Borough where possible, but it was not always possible to find spaces inside of the Borough. The Acting Managing Director added it was a much better approach and the Council were housing many more people inside the Borough in either emergency or temporary accommodation.

The Head of CEP stated the Support before Enforcement approach was approved by Cabinet to develop a strategy and then consult on it. The Cabinet report was not the implementation of the policy, it was for approval of the approach taken. He added he was happy with the feedback regarding the MEAM Coordinator. It was a difficult area and the added challenge was that there was not one solution that fits all and there were also significant differences in public views on what support should look like. The Head of CEP said he was working with the Resilience service to strengthen their offer and had had positive discussions around mental health. It was not for the Borough alone to resolve the issues and the Borough needed to work with health colleagues. Conversations had taken place with CCG’s and would develop further in 2019.

Louise Warbrick, TVP, stated the Baptist Church on a Friday and Saturday had a safety hub which was open till 4am and there was a mental health officer stationed there too which was helping the homeless community. Susy Shearer said there was a new project pilot offering a night shelter which operated for four weeks and was coordinated by Churches Together, the Council, TVP and other community organisations.

Helen Price queried if the SWEP protocol was open to individuals from outside the Borough. The Head of CEP confirmed it was and that it was in operation throughout winter; SWEP applied to all LA’s Helen Price said people would come into the Borough once they knew about SWEP and that was an issue the Council could face. The Acting Managing Director stated it was not just about producing accommodation, it was about actually working with individuals to find a sustainable solution. There was no point running an extended SWEP if at the end of it, individuals went back to their same situations. The support offered would be done so on a case by case bases and the Council had set up a homeless prevention fund to help people in creative ways.

Helen Price said there was a far greater number of homeless people that were hidden homeless; they needed to be identified and their situations addressed. The Acting Managing Director responded hidden homelessness was a difficult issue to address. If individuals did not make themselves known to Council, the Council were not able to help. The Head of CEP stated the new measures being introduced might enable some better opportunities for people to come forward and make themselves known and then the Borough would do all that it could to help and support them. Helen Price suggested there should be a section in the Around the Royal Borough publication that made people aware of what hidden homelessness was. Councillor Bowden stated the Council were doing the best it could do but, he did not think the Council should be advertising all its services as it would be inundated; people also had to do something for themselves. Sally Wright stated they saw a lot of hidden homeless at the WHP. The Head of CEP said he would talk to Maggie Nelson, Housing Services Manager to see what the Council could do to make services more available.

Councillor Quick congratulated officers and the work they had done with organisations such as the WHP. The Borough had come a long way with understanding and support growing hugely.