Agenda item

Homelessness Prevention Grant 2022/23 (Previously Flexible Homelessness Support Grant and Homelessness Reduction Grant)

Minutes:

The Housing Development and Enabling Manager presented a report on the subject of the Homelessness Prevention Grant settlement 2022/23 for the Council.  This grant replaced the previous Flexible Homelessness Support Grant and the Temporary Accommodation Management Fund, which had been amalgamated.  The Council was anticipating receiving £314,926 in the Homelessness Prevention Grant, which was ring fenced for spending on homelessness and homelessness prevention.  There had been a £66,008 underspend on equivalent homelessness grants in 2021/22.  Therefore, the Council had total grant funding of £392,134 to spend on homelessness and homelessness prevention in the 2022/23 financial year.

 

In line with previous years, the Council was proposing to allocate this grant funding to various different Voluntary and Community (VCS) organisations that worked to support homeless people and people at risk of becoming homeless, including young people.  This would represent expenditure of £382,000 of the grant funding available. Officers were proposing that the Head of Community and Housing Services should be provided with delegated authority, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Procurement, to make adjustments as needed during the year, including with respect to expenditure of the remaining funds.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Procurement explained that the funding to the various VCS organisations had made a significant contribution to work to tackle homelessness in recent years and it was therefore important to ensure that this continued.  A lot of work had been undertaken, in particular, to address issues with rough sleeping and to support young people who might otherwise struggle to access appropriate accommodation.

 

RESOLVED that

 

1)         the following initiatives be approved to receive allocation of funding in 2022/23:

 

Initiatives

£

(up to)

Redditch Nightstop -  Outreach Worker to support 21 to 35 year olds and prevent homelessness or work towards planned moves into suitable and sustainable accommodation and the Safe Accommodation and Support scheme.

55,600

Redditch Nightstop Core Funding

13,000

CCP Rough Sleeper Outreach Service - 2.8 FTE posts across Bromsgrove and Redditch

75,246

Fry Accord – 18 units of supported accommodation for Ex-Offenders or those likely to offend

15,457

St Basils – Provide 23 units of accommodation for young people aged 16- 23 years of age additional funding to provide 24 hour cover following a reduction in funding from County Council

14,200

Newstarts - Furniture Project to provide furniture for homeless households.

5,000

Homelessness Prevention - Spend to Save budget for use by Housing Options Officers

17,060

Temporary Accommodation Management – as 3.1 above

66,380

St Basils Smallwood Almshouses - Progression Coach to offer additional support that can operate outside of normal office hours to fit around a young persons education, training and employment.

 

26,500

Citizens Advice Debt Advice

 

23,000

Sanctuary Scheme for Victims of Domestic Abuse

20,000

Young Persons Pathway Worker

26,000

Crash Pad

14,033

County Partnership Manager

6,300

Hopes – Single and Childless Couples Homeless Prevention Service

4,996

Total

£382,772

 

2)         delegated authority be granted to the Head of Community and Housing Services following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Procurement to use any unallocated Grant during the year or make further adjustments as necessary to ensure full utilisation of the Grants for 2022/23 in support of existing or new schemes.

 

 

Supporting documents: