ipswich’s homelessness & rough sleeping strategy 2019 - 2024 · partnership to work with it....

2019 - 2024iPSwiCh’S hOmElESSnESS &ROugh SlEEPing StRatEgy

Ipswich’s Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2024 page 2


5 Foreword

6 Introduction

7 executive Summary

8 Vision

9 about Ipswich

10 Key Facts

12 achievements

13 the challenges

14 the priorities

19 Interventions

20 action plan

21 consultation and feedback

22 glossary

24 action plan

IpSwIcH HomeleSSneSS and RougH SleepIng StRategy

COntEntS


Homelessness and rough sleeping havebeen massively increasing since 2010.these problems blight the lives ofthose involved and can also spill overinto crime and anti-social behaviouraffecting a wider audience. thisstrategy is a coherent response tothese pressures. there is a focus onprevention - better than a cure - as wellas increasing access to accommodationand supporting households to keep atenancy.

It is often thought that all homelesspeople are rough sleepers, though thisis not the case. Rough sleepers are atthe extreme end of homeless, oftenwith complex problems and needs.However, the majority of homelesspeople become homeless, or arethreatened with homelessness,because of family breakdown or simplybecause their tenancy ends. promptaction and advice by Ipswich Boroughcouncil has enabled many hundreds ofhouseholds to remain in their homes.prevention will remain a core plank ofour response.

a second priority is to access suitablehousing. the council’s house buildingprogramme is not explicitly part of thisstrategy and will not provide thevolume of permanent accommodationrequired in the medium term. thecouncil has procured a new temporary

accommodation unit which willmassively reduce the use of B&Bs. Forpermanent accommodation in theshort term, this strategy looks to theprivate rented sector for more housing,and will use the Ipswich lettingspartnership to work with it.

Rough sleepers are the human face ofhomelessness, which is often on showto the general public. a coherentresponse of outreach work, day centre,night provision and support, includingdedicated mental health support is inplace to help the rough sleepercommunity. this will be enhancedthrough the strategy period, with theaim of turning around as many lives aspossible.

Councillor neil macdonaldhousing portfolio-holderipswich Borough Council

IpSwIcH HomeleSSneSS and RougH SleepIng StRategy 2019/2024

fOREwORd


In august 2018 the ministry of Housingcommunities and local governmentpublished “the Rough SleepingStrategy” which set out thegovernment’s vision for halving roughsleeping by 2022 and ending it by2027. Ipswich shares this vision. theactions required from this approach,coupled with the implementation ofthe Homelessness Reduction act 2017,has led the council to separate out theactions addressing homelessness fromour Housing Strategy to produce thisstrategy focused on tacklinghomelessness and rough sleeping. ourfirst Homelessness and Rough SleepingStrategy.

this Strategy sets out the council’sVision for tackling homeless and roughsleeping in Ipswich over the next fiveyears, what actions the council will be

carrying out and what the council caneither perform or influence.

there is suite of documents thatsupport this Strategy. the“Homelessness Review” informed thisStrategy, it provides an assessment ofthe extent of homelessness in theBorough and the likely extent ofhomelessness in the future. It alsoidentifies what is currently being doneand by whom, identifies whatresources are available, to prevent andtackle homelessness and what isrequired in the future. the “nationaland local context” document detailsthe legislation and strategies thatshape and affect how homelessnessand rough sleeping is addressed inIpswich; this includes partnerorganisations and their relevantstrategies.

intROduCtiOn

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping is very much in the public

eye and tackling these issues has become a higher priority at

both a national and local level.


Over the five-year period some ofthe challenges the Council faceslocally include:

• welfare Reform Impacts

• Funding uncertainty

• economic uncertainty

• affordability

• Housing Supply

ExECutivE SummaRy

the council’s Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy ispublished at a time of change in the housing sector. the yearsahead are uncertain and local authorities need to respond tothe changes.

the Council’s vision is:For an “Ipswich where those who are homeless or threatened withhomelessness receive the advice, support and assistance they need toaccess accommodation they can call home”

this Strategy has four priorities:

• prevention of Homelessness

• Increasing access to suitable accommodation

• Supporting Vulnerable Households secure and maintainaccommodation

• tackling Rough Sleeping


this Strategy provides a focus toaddress the two key issues ofhomelessness and rough sleeping.

this Strategy and action Plan will: • Identify the issues and the interventions required to address them.• Be reviewed periodically and at least annually to ensure it remains relevant and

fit for purpose.

the Council, with stakeholders has identified four key priority areas:• prevention of Homelessness• Increasing access to suitable accommodation • Supporting Vulnerable Households secure and maintain accommodation• tackling Rough Sleeping

viSiOn

a number of recent keyachievements are referencedwithin this Strategy and thecouncil will build on thesesuccesses in the future throughthe implementation of theaction plan.

Our vision is for an“ipswich where those whoare homeless orthreatened withhomelessness receive theadvice, support andassistance they need toaccess accommodationthey can call home”

the population has increased by more than 12% over the past decade;this is a larger increase than seen by Suffolk, the east of england andengland as a whole . Ipswich has a young age profile; with almost twice asmany people aged under 25 than there are people aged over 65 .However, there is projected to be an 80% increase in the population aged75 -84 over the next 25 years; and a 94% increase in those aged over 85.

there are currently 61,070 dwellings in Ipswich, the majority of these,78%, are in the private sector; this is less than the percentage nationallywhich stands at over 82%; furthermore proportionally Ipswich has fewerproperties that are owned outright or with a mortgage and moreproperties that are rented from private landlords than there arenationally. the overall housing supply in Ipswich has increased by 2310dwellings since 2010.

Ipswich Borough council is one of only approximately 100 local authoritiesretaining their housing stock. Ipswich Borough council currently owns andmaintains 7898 properties. this equates to almost 13% of all the dwellingsin Ipswich. over 43% of all IBc stock are three bedroom general needshouses; 7% is sheltered housing and 33% are general needs flats. at theend of 2017, all IBc properties met the decent Homes Standard and theenhanced ‘Ipswich Standard’ except where tenants had declined works.

Ipswich Borough council’s Housing options team saw 1500 households inneed of housing advice and assistance in 2017/18; in the same year, 601of these households were prevented or relieved from becoming homeless.this was an increase of almost 52% since 2012/13. 175 households wereaccepted as homeless, in priority need and not intentionally homeless in2017/18.

the health of the people of Ipswich varies compared with the englandaverage. about 18% (4900) of children live in low-income families. lifeexpectancy for both men and women is similar to the england average butlife expectancy is 7.1 years lower for men and 5.3 years lower for womenin the most deprived areas of Ipswich than in the least deprived areas.

aBOut iPSwiCh

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, located on the estuaryof the River orwell. the town is a key employment centrewith a university and a growing population. Ipswich currentlyhas a population of 138,480 inhabiting 61,070 homes.



kEy faCtS

130 households prevented frombecoming homeless by assisting themto remain in their existing home. 391 households prevented frombecoming homeless by assisting themto obtain alternative accommodation.80 households relieved fromhomelessness

66% of households accepted as homeless in2017/18 were in priority need due to havingdependent children

21% of households accepted as homeless in2017/18 were homeless due to thetermination of an assured Shortholdtenancy. an increase of 16% since 2010/11

households prevented or relievedfrom homelessness

20172018 66% 21%

20132014

20122013

20142015

20152016

20162017

20172018

20172018

acce

ptan

ces

Pres

enta

tions

264

175

20162017

acce

ptan

ces

242

171

20152016

acce

ptan

ces

221

161

20142015

acce

ptan

ces

205

144

1379 advice contacts since theimplementation of theHomeless Reduction act inapril 2018.average of 42 a week

42

april 2018

55

may 2018

56

June 2018

62

July 2018

64

august2018

69

number of households in temporaryaccommodation since HRa on 3 april 2018average of 14 weeks stay

homelessness presentationsand acceptances

Pres

enta

tions

Pres

enta

tions

Pres

enta

tions

439 522

472 548 601

396

20122011 2013 2014

2015 2016 2017 2018

households in temporaryaccommodation on 31 march

39 48 42 47

38 51 49 59


kEy faCtS

710tO lEt

146tO lEt

In 2017/18 there were 710 lets in Ipswichthrough choice Based lettings: 146 ofthese were to homeless households

984 applications for accommodationand 428 applications for communitySupport. 246 placements foraccommodation and 376 forcommunity support

2017 - 2018

201013

201516

201627

201721

20117

20127

20135

20148

number of rough sleepers in Ipswich

funding over three years fortackling homelessness

£

£

tOtal £986,500

24 emergency beds inIpswich this winter

7 24

7 new emergencybeds this winter

7 outreach workers in Ipswichworking with Rough Sleepers.

Outreachworkers

7

June 17 - march 18 101 people sleepingrough were workedwith. 55 helped intoaccommodation

april - June 18 61 people sleepingroughwere workedwith. 32 helped intoaccommodation

55 32

Rough Sleeping: 0.45 per 1000 ofthe population; thisis greater than therough sleeping ratein london

2015 2016

16 27

Jan 201840 referrals - Homelessness prevented in 4 casesfeb 201826 referrals - Homelessness prevented in 7 casesmar 201835 referrals - Homelessness prevented in 7 casesapril 201829 referrals - Homelessness prevented in 9 casesmay 201821 referrals - Homelessness prevented in 6 cases

Referrals to ihag moneyadvice Service

Since adopting the 2017 - 2022housing Strategy, we have:• Implemented the provisions of

the Homelessness Reduction act2017. earlier interventions, newIt systems, additional staff, moreinformation on website, onlinereferral processes have resultedin an enhanced service tocustomers.

• Secured funding for tacklingrough sleeping – already 7additional bed spaces have beenprovided and additional outreachsupport.

• developed the Ipswich lettingspartnership to access privaterented sector accommodation.

in addition we have:• Increased successful

homelessness preventions andreliefs – up 37% from 2013/14 to2017/2018

• Increased debt and money adviceavailability

• used discretionary Housingpayments (dHp) to preventhomelessness

• expanded our Spend to Savescheme to prevent homelessness

• proactively worked with chaoticand complex needs households

• proactively worked withindividuals discharged fromprisons

• Joint funded a mental healthsocial worker to focus on theneeds of households in need ofhousing assistance.

• moved temporaryaccommodation to provide moremodern self-containedaccommodation.

Partnership workingIt is recognised that successful partnership working will be key to thesuccess of this strategy. Ipswich Borough council holds its workingrelationships with Voluntary, community and Social enterprise (VcSe)agencies and statutory agencies in the highest esteem. there is a longhistory of successful and ambitious voluntary sector organisationsworking within the boundaries of Ipswich for the good of the peopleof Ipswich and Ipswich Borough council fully recognises the value thatthese groups bring. many of the achievements listed would not havebeen possible without the input and expertise of these organisationsboth in the initial planning stages and at the point of delivery. thecontinuation of these successful working relationships is recognised asbeing integral to achieving the aims of this strategy.

aChiEvEmEntS

prior to this Strategy, our Homelessness Strategy wasincorporated as a key strand into our Housing Strategy.

Ipswich’s Homelessness &Rough Sleeping Strategy2019-2024 page 12


thE ChallEngES

welfare Reformimpactsconcerns aboutuniversal credit arewell documented.claimants are reportedto have increasedfinancial problemsaffecting their ability tosecure and maintainaccommodation.

£

funding uncertaintyFunding fromgovernment forHomelessnessprevention services aretime limited, often onlyguaranteed for 1 or 2years.

other funding likeHousing Related Supportare under pressure andare reducing year onyear.

housing Supply remains limited,resulting in longer waits forhousing

Economic uncertainty whilst theoutcomes of Brexit remain unclearthere is an expectation that therewill be some adverse economicconsequences. there could be anincrease in those experiencingfinancial problems affecting theiraccommodation.

tOlEt

£

affordabilityproperty prices, both for purchaseand rent remain high resulting indifficulties for households toafford suitable accommodation.

£

Homelessness Reduction act 2017has put a legal duty on councils tooffer more support to a wider rangeof people who are homeless orthreatened with homelessness andto intervene earlier. preventinghomelessness remains the primaryfocus of the council.

For many years, the Housing optionsteam has been focussed on theprevention and relief ofhomelessness; this is reflected in theofficial number of householdssuccessfully prevented or relievedfrom homelessness which saw a 37%increase from 2010/11 to 2017/18;from 438 households to 601households. the number ofhomelessness presentations has alsobeen increasing; there has been a14% increase in homelesspresentations from 2013/14 to2017/18 and an almost 16% increasein the number of householdsaccepted as homeless.

the introduction of theHomelessness Reduction act (HRa)on 3 april 2018, whilst challenging interms of supporting infrastructureand staff/team capability (bothtraining and resources), did notrequire a complete culture shift asthe prevention of homelessness hadalways been the primary priority ofthe team. the Housing options teamsuccessfully prepared and wereready for the introduction of theHRa; more staff were employed; thesupporting It system was upgraded;intensive staff training wascompleted and partnership - workingrelationships were strengthened.

there has been a noticeable upwardtrend in the volume of householdshomeless or threatened withhomelessness due to financialdifficulties. Ipswich Borough councilhas strived to assist thesehouseholds and prevent them frombecoming homeless by providingaccess to quality money advice. thisservice is currently provided viaIpswich Housing action group (IHag)money advice Service. there were352 referrals made to the service inthe year to September 2018 and in75 of these cases homelessness wasprevented. the value of this serviceand the importance of access totimely and quality money advice andfinancial capability cannot beunderestimated when striving toprevent homelessness.

effective partnership working haslong been recognised as a keyelement in the drive to preventhomelessness. Ipswich Boroughcouncil has historically activelyfostered strong working relationshipswith partners across the borough.this has been bolstered further bythe introduction of theHomelessness Reduction act. theserelationships are integral to ensuringthat potential homelessness isrecognised at the earliest stage toprovide the best outcomes. Strongand effective partnership workingcreates a holistic, whole systemapproach to meeting the housingneeds of homeless households andthose threatened withhomelessness.

OuR PRiORitiES

PRiORity OnEPREvEntiOn Of hOmElESSnESS

the Housing (Homeless persons) act 1977, Housing act 1996and the Homeless act 2002 placed statutory duties on localhousing authorities to prevent and tackle homelessness intheir areas.

Ipswich’s Homelessness &Rough Sleeping Strategy2019-2024 page 14


what wE will dO

• ensure that the primary focus of the Housing options team isthe prevention and relief of homelessness.

• develop range of online forms for customer use; strengthendata collection within the It system to comply with H-clIc(the new homelessness data collection system) requirementsand monitor the use of resources.

• Improve working relationships with partners across theborough to ensure the best outcomes for homelesshouseholds and those threatened with homelessness.

• develop a predictive data analysis tool to be better able toforecast, plan and prepare for homelessness. this would beformed from a database of known triggers and thereforeintervention would be at the earliest point to maximiseopportunities for preventing homelessness.

• explore further use of the discretionary Housing paymentsystem to prevent homelessness wherever possible.

• encourage our Housing partners to refer those threatenedwith homelessness to the Housing options team to achieveeffective preventions.

• work with tenancy Services to prevent evictions.

• maintain homelessness pathways for those named in thecode of guidance.

• continue to work with all Suffolk local authorities to developpartnership initiatives to prevent and relieve homelessness.


PRiORity twOinCREaSing aCCESS tO SuitaBlE aCCOmmOdatiOn

the gateway to Homechoice, choice Based lettings (cBl) system governs howIpswich Borough council and Registered provider properties are let to householdsin need of accommodation within Ipswich. In 2017/18 there were 721 propertiesin Ipswich let through cBl. on the 1st december 2017 there were 2805households (new applicants and transfer applicants) waiting for accommodation inIpswich through cBl; of these; 1232 were in priority bands a-c. the housing needsof the people of Ipswich cannot be met solely through social housing and thechoice based lettings system.

Ipswich Borough council recognizes the importance of the private Rented Sectorfor providing households with suitable accommodation. an extensive and in depthstudy of the Ipswich private Rented Sector was conducted in 2017; to betterunderstand the sector. the subsequent report and recommendations will feed intothe direction of travel for the future relationship between Ipswich Borough counciland Ipswich’s private sector landlords.

the Ipswich lettings partnership (Ilp) was established by Ipswich Borough councilto increase access to good quality homes in the private rented sector for anyoneliving in Ipswich. It provides a professional, committed, and free service to privatesector landlords with property available to rent in Ipswich. the Ipswich lettingspartnership works with over 70 letting agents and over 60 private landlords acrossIpswich. Since its inception in 2013, it has secured more than 90 tenancies. the Ilphas recently been expanded with the appointment of a Senior officer to overseeand steer its development.

access to suitable temporary accommodation is also important; wherehomelessness could not be prevented, it is essential that households have accessto suitable temporary accommodation on their journey to settled accommodation.Ipswich Borough council is currently expanding its temporary accommodation soas to limit the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless households.2019 will see the opening of a new temporary accommodation resource and thedisbanding of unsuitable and outdated temporary accommodation.

a key part of preventing homelessness is ensuring that there isaccess to suitable accommodation within the borough; withoutthis the prevention of homelessness stagnates.

what wE will dO:

• Regular review of the cBlpolicy to ensure that itremains compliant withany legislative changesand any other factors thataffect the way in whichthe policy is operated.

• Further development ofthe Ipswich lettingspartnership to maximiseopportunities to work withlandlords to ensure asupply of suitable privaterented sector properties.

• Implementation of Rentguarantee Scheme toensure that financialbarriers are not preventinghouseholds from securingaccommodation.

• expansion of IBc’stemporaryaccommodation resource;and disposal of temporaryaccommodation that isunsuitable.

• endeavour to ensure thatno homeless family will beaccommodated in Bed andBreakfast accommodationexcept in exceptionalcircumstances.


Supporting our vulnerable Ipswich residents to both access and thento maintain accommodation is a key focus of Housing Services.Vulnerable households include (although not limited to):

those with care of dependent children, older people, those whoexperience physical health issues, those who experience mentalhealth issues, gypsies and travellers, those experiencing abuse andviolence (including domestic violence), those who have left the caresystem, those who are institutionalised having recently left prison,those who are institutionalised having left the armed forces.

accommodation can mean supported accommodation,accommodation within the private rented sector or social housingaccommodation.

PRiORity thREE SuPPORting vulnERaBlE hOuSEhOldS SECuRE andmaintain aCCOmmOdatiOn

what wE will dO:

• participate in the county widereview of Housing RelatedSupport (HRS) following theappointment of a joint HRSofficer, part funded by IBc

• Build upon relationships withkey partners to include (but notlimited to) acS, cyp, learningdisabilities, local ccg and nHStrust, womens aid

• work with other district andborough councils within Suffolkon wider system issues throughthe Suffolk Homeless officersgroup to help householdsmaintain tenancies.

as part of the homelessness prevention focus, Housing options will alwaystry remedies to ensure that vulnerable households can remain in existingaccommodation if that is the best course of action to meet their needs.the joint gateway to Homechoice allocation policy has been written tohave specific regard to vulnerable households needing to access socialhousing. tenancy Services have an experienced tenancy Support team andanti-Social Behaviour team who work to ensure that vulnerable IBctenants can maintain their tenancies. Housing options and tenancyServices fund the money advice Service through IHag to provide an indepth and comprehensive money advice service to IBc tenants and toIpswich residents threatened with homelessness. Housing options fund aspecialist housing/mental health social worker post which has provedsuccessful in aiding Housing options to prevent homelessness within thisvulnerable group. the council is proactively working to establish how bestto serve the needs of our growing ageing population of IBc tenantsthrough conducting a review of IBc older persons accommodation. a keyfeature of the Ipswich lettings partnership is to offer ongoing tenantsupport to Ilp tenants once they have moved into their new homes.

a key part in IBcs success to date in helping vulnerable households tosecure and maintain accommodation is through the development ofpartnership working. developing better working relationships with adultcommunity Services (acS), children & young people (cyp) Services,learning disabilities and Ipswich nHS trust has been a particular focusand will remain so.


IBc was invited to bid for funding in late 2016 from the then department forcommunities and local government (dclg) Homelessness preventionprogramme and was successful in securing a £331,719 Rough Sleeper grant(RSg) to halve the numbers of people sleeping rough in Ipswich Boroughcouncil and Suffolk coastal district council areas, as measured in the annualrough sleeper counts.

interventions funded through the RSg from 1st July 2017 to 30th June2019 include: • Rough Sleeper outreach provided by Ipswich Housing action group (IHag)

and delivered from the chapman centre in Ipswich and anglia care trust (act) in Suffolk coastal district council.

• Short term emergency Beds; 3 dormitory style beds located in notting Hillgenesis (nHg) cavendish lodge in Ipswich and I bed in Buregate gateRoad Felixstowe.

• a mental Health link worker contracted with norfolk and SuffolkFoundation trust (nSFt) to cover both areas.

• Financial capability training for all clients who move through the projectdelivered by act and IHag.

In november 2016 we estimated that we had 27 rough sleepers on aparticular night in november. In 2017 that number had reduced to 21. weexperienced very cold temperatures in winter 2017/18 and rough sleepingbecame high on the political agenda. the dclg turned into the ministry ofHousing, communities and local government (mHclg) and an additional£30 million fund was launched to tackle rough sleeping hot spots. Ipswichwas invited to bid along with 81 other la’s for funding. we secured £267,234Rough Sleeper Initiative (RSI) grant to deliver targeted interventions thatcould be implemented quickly and make a real difference to the numbers onthe streets in winter 2018/19.

Rough Sleeping in the Borough more than doubled in theperiod 2010 to 2016. the annual snapshot surveys thatidentified the number of people rough sleeping on aparticular night was 13 in 2010, ranged between 5 and 8for the next 4 years before increasing to 16 in 2015 andthen reaching 27 in 2016. through interventions led by thecouncil that figure dropped to 21 in 2017.

PRiORity fOuRtaCkling ROugh SlEEPing

the council in conjunction withpartners in the Ipswich localityHomelessness partnership haveinitiated a Housing First project.the Housing First approachinvolves providingnon-conditional and independentaccommodation with high quality,intensive, open-ended holisticsupport. this project is to addressthe major issue of a small groupof clients who will never get offthe streets into independenthousing through the currentsupported housing provision.

what wE will dO

• develop a coordinated andcommitted multi agencyinitiative

• develop services to meet theneeds of entrenched RoughSleepers in Ipswich in order tochange lives and encouragerough sleepers to engage withrelevant agencies

• deliver, monitor and reviewexisting rough sleeping servicesto ensure value for money andthe project outcomes are met

• work closely with the mHclgrough sleeper advisor onexisting and new grantopportunities and to shapeservices for 19/20 fromprovisional award

• gather data on the roughsleeping population to informfuture bids for funding and feedinto future service provision.

• work with other statutorypartners on identifying gaps inservices for the most complexindividuals.

• provide local authorityleadership in tackling roughsleeping and promoting thevision to end rough sleepingwithin the borough

intERvEntiOnS fundEdthROugh thE RSi fROm 1 SEPtEmBER 2018 – 31 maRCh2019 inCludE:

Ipswich’s Homelessness &Rough Sleeping Strategy

2019-2024 page 19

• a Rough Sleeper coordinator

• 2 drug and alcohol outreachworkers; in partnership withpublic Health who commission theservice

• Rough Sleeper outreach providedby IHag

• In reach provided by act andIHag

• expansion of the existingShort-term emergency provision(Step) contract to provideself-contained beds, to includecouples and provision for one dog

• extended Ipswich winter nightShelter (IwnS) opening by twomonths from 11th october 2018to 31st march 2019, create threemore beds and deliver from onelocation

• extended IHag chapman centreweekend opening hours to 3.5hours on a Saturday and 3.5 hourson a Sunday

we have since been awarded aprovisional RSI grant for 2019/20 of£387,547 which is heavilydependent on the success of thecurrent 2017/19 grants, deliveringfour night time rough sleeper countsand by having a rough sleepingstrategy by march 2019. we havebeen allocated a Rough Sleeperadvisor from the mHclg who willhelp us to shape services for2019/20.

in total that is a potential £986,500funding over three years ringfenced to the prevention or reliefof rough sleeping.


aCtiOn Plan fOR hOuSingSERviCES 2019-2024

this is the pinnacle of the strategy itself and will evolve and respondthroughout the period to reflect local and national change.

the action Plan is written around the four priorities:• prevention of Homelessness• Increasing access to suitable accommodation • Supporting Vulnerable Households secure and maintain accommodation• tackling Rough Sleeping

the homelessness section of thehousing Strategy has been removedand forms the basis of this newhomelessness and Rough SleepingStrategy. the existing evidence baseand content has been expanded. iBChas already been working extensivelyand intensively with key stakeholderand partners to tackle homelessnessand rough sleeping in ipswich for anumber of years and a number ofpartnership groups have beenestablished to this end.

a consultation ran from 10thdecember to 21st december 2018 viaa Survey monkey Survey. this wassent to 200 Stakeholders and partnersand 15 responses were received; 12via the survey and 3 additionalwritten responses.

feedbackthe majority of the survey monkeyresults were in support of the draftHomelessness and Rough SleepingStrategy. the written commentsfocused on three areas:• partnership working needed greater

emphasis• the action plan needed clarity• concerns over timing and length of

the consultation

Our response• a new section on partnership

working has been added to theStrategy to highlight the importanceof these working relationships inachieving the aims of the Strategy.the action plan has also beenaltered to include a ‘partnershipworking’ section.

• the action plan is a high-level planfor operational areas; this will bebacked up with individual plans foreach area as the actions areimplemented.

• the timing and length of theconsultation was largely dictated bymHclg requiring that the strategybe in place by march 2019 in orderto secure continued funding totackle homelessness. the Strategyalso needs to be approved throughthe IBc corporate process. thesetwo timelines meant that themaximum time that could beallocated to this consultation was 10days and there was a limited periodduring which the consultation couldbe held.

See appendix C: Consultation Reportfor further details relating tofeedback and our response.

COnSultatiOn & fEEdBaCkprior to the government announcement in august 2018 that allcouncils needed to produce a separate Homelessness and RoughSleeping Strategy, the council’s Housing Strategy contained apriority section concerning homelessness in Ipswich. the HousingStrategy was published less than a year before the government’saugust announcement. the Housing Strategy had been extensivelyconsulted upon prior to its publication in november 2017.

Ipswich’s Homelessness &Rough Sleeping Strategy

2019-2024 page 21

monitoring & governancethis Strategy will be monitored and governed through the action plan. theaction plan is designed to underpin the whole Strategy and will be underconstant review through regular meetings with managers. any amendmentsto the action plan, whether by way of amending, archiving achieved actionsor adding new actions, will need to be approved by an Ipswich Boroughcouncil Steering group which also meets on a regular basis. partner agencieswill be updated as appropriate.

this robust process will ensure that the action plan remains current andrelevant, both a measure of work to be completed in order to meet the aimsof the Strategy and a measure of work that has been completed. the actionplan will be available on our website, alongside the Strategy, and will beupdated on the website annually.

the regular monitoring of the national and local context will also form part ofthe monitoring and governance process and will also feed into the ongoingdevelopment of the action plan.


glOSSaRy Of aBBREviatiOnS and tERmSiPSwiCh BOROugh COunCil – hOmElESSnESS & ROugh SlEEPing StRatEgy 2019-24

aaffORdaBlE hOuSingSocial rented, shared ownership,intermediate housing and starter homes forhouseholds who cannot afford to meettheir housing needs through the market.

BBEdROOm taxthe informal name for the Removal of theSpare Room Subsidy; a change to HousingBenefit entitlement that means a socialtenant receives less in housing benefit ifthey have one or more spare bedrooms.

CCaRE lEavERSa person aged 25 or under, who has beenlooked after by a local authority for at least13 weeks since the age of 14; and who waslooked after by the local authority atschool-leaving age or after that date.

ChOiCE BaSEd lEttingSa system that enables applicants forhousing to choose from a range of vacantproperties.

ddECEnt hOmES StandaRda minimum standard that requires areasonable state of repair, modern facilitiesand services and thermal efficiency.

dEPOSit BOnda written agreement replacing thetraditional cash deposit provided by the laguaranteeing the deposit value should aclaim be made against it.

diSCREtiOnaRy hOuSing PaymEntan extra payment to help people who claimhousing benefit and are struggling to paythe rent

ffinanCial CaPaBilityImproving people's ability to managemoney well, both day to day and throughsignificant life events, and their ability tohandle periods of financial difficulty.

fuEl POvERtya household is considered to be in fuelpoverty if: they have required fuel coststhat are above average and were they tospend that amount they would be left witha residual income below the official povertyline.

ggatEway tO hOmEChOiCEthe choice based lettings service for allsocial housing in Ipswich.

gatEway tO hOmEChOiCE: BandSonce an application has been assessed theapplicant will be placed into one of fivebands (Bands a - e), depending on assessedlevel of housing need. a is the highest needand e is the lowest level of housing need.

gyPSy, tRavEllER and tRavEllingShOwPERSOnS aCCOmmOdatiOnaSSESSmEnt (gtaa)a study of the accommodation needs ofgypsies, travellers and travelling Showpeople.

hh-CliCthe Homelessness case level Informationclassification (H-clIc) is the newhomelessness data collection system, whichwas introduced in april 2018 to coincidewith the commencement of theHomelessness Reduction act. It collectscase level data, which will provide moredetailed information on the causes andeffects of homelessness, long-termoutcomes and what works to prevent it.

hOmElESS aCCEPtanCESlocal housing authorities are required toconsider housing needs within their area,including the needs of homelesshouseholds, to whom local authorities havea statutory duty to provide assistance; suchstatutorily homeless households arereferred to as 'acceptances'.

hOmElESS REduCtiOn aCtan act of parliament which came in to forceon 3rd april 2018: the act puts a legal dutyon councils to offer more support to awider range of people who are homeless orthreatened with homelessness and tointervene earlier.

hOuSE in multiPlE OCCuPatiOna house occupied by more than two peoplewho are not all members of the samefamily.

hOuSing aSSOCiatiOnnon-profit making organisations thatprovide low-cost "social housing" for peoplein need of a home. any trading surplus isused to maintain existing housing and tohelp finance new homes.

hOuSing OPtiOnS tEamoffer advice on a wide range of housingissues, including: Homelessness or at risk ofbeing homeless, private rentedaccommodation, landlord and tenantissues, Rent or mortgage arrears, eviction,tenancy deposits, domestic abuse andRelationship or family breakdown.

hOuSing REgiStERa housing register is for people who are 16and over, who are interested in beingconsidered for council or housingassociation properties.

hOuSing RElatEd SuPPORtHelp for vulnerable people to find or stay intheir own home.

iintEntiOnally hOmElESSlocal authorities make enquiries to decideif homeless households are intentionallyhomeless; that is that they consider thatthe applicant deliberately did or didn't dosomething that caused them to lose theirhome. If the local authority decides that ahomeless household is intentionallyhomeless, it only has a duty to provideshort-term accommodation, usually for 28days.

iPSwiCh lEttingS PaRtnERShiP Hasbeen developed by Ipswich Boroughcouncil to increase access to good qualityhomes in the private sector for anyoneliving in Ipswich faced with losing theirexisting accommodation.

iPSwiCh lOCality hOmElESSPaRtnERShiP (ilhP)Brings together over 30 charities, localauthorities, churches, health organisationsand funders in an active network that iscommitted to working together to createand deliver a range of services to meet theneeds of people affected by homelessnessin Ipswich and the surrounding area.

llOCal lEttingS SChEmEIn exceptional circumstances, the gatewayto Homechoice may decide to let propertieson a slightly different basis from normal: inthe interests of building a strong andsustainable community or to deal withparticular local issues. the set of criteriawhere this applies is called a “local lettingsscheme”.


mmaRginaliSEd and vulnERaBlEadultSlack of access to resources, opportunitiesand rights which leads to relegation to theedge of society. Some marginalised adultsmay also be vulnerable for a reason andmay be unable to take care of or protectthemselves from harm or exploitation.

miniStRy Of hOuSing, COmmunitiESand lOCal gOvERnmEntthe uK government department withresponsibility for housing, communities andlocal government in england.

multi agEnCy RiSk aSSESSmEntCOnfEREnCE (maRaC)a local, multi-agency victim-focusedmeeting where information is shared onthe highest risk cases of domestic violenceand abuse between different statutory andvoluntary sector agencies.

nnO RECOuRSE tO PuBliC fundSpeople who are subject to immigrationcontrol and have no entitlement to welfarebenefits, to home office asylum support forasylum seekers or to public housing

OOBJECtivEly aSSESSEd nEEd (Oan)establishes the total quantum and mix ofhousing that households are willing andable to buy or rent, either from their ownresources or with assistance from the State.

OwnER OCCuPatiOnproperties owned outright by the occupieror being bought by the occupier with amortgage.

PPRiORity nEEda priority for accommodation given tospecified groups of people who arehomeless or threatened with homelessnessunder part 7 of the Housing act 1996

PRivatE REntEd SECtORall rented property other than that rentedfrom local authorities and housingassociations.

PRivatE SECtOR hOuSing tEamoffer advice and support to tenants,homeowners and private landlords toensure that homes are safe and healthyenvironment for everyone.

PRivatE SECtOR lEaSing SChEmEa scheme run by local authorities toprovide longer term temporaryaccommodation to homeless clients.

RREgiStEREd PROvidER (RP)provider of Social Housing registered withthe Hca.

REgiStEREd SOCial landlORd (RSl)Housing association.

REnt dEPOSita sum of money paid by the tenant to thelandlord which the landlord retains assecurity against loss or damage or rentarrears. landlords are required to registertheir deposits in a government approvedscheme.

REnt in advanCElandlords can require tenants to pay rent inadvance.

ROugh SlEEPingdefined by the government as ‘peoplesleeping, or bedded down, in the open air(such as on the streets, or in doorways,parks or bus shelters); people in buildingsor other places not designed for habitation(such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars,derelict boats, station).’

SShEltEREd hOuSingaccommodation for sale or rent exclusivelyto elderly or vulnerable people, often withestate management services, emergencyalarm system and warden service.

SOCial inEqualitythe existence of unequal opportunities andrewards for different social positions orstatuses within a group or society.

SOCial REntRented housing owned and managed bylocal authorities and Housing associations.

ttEmPORaRy aCCOmmOdatiOnaccommodation provided by the localauthority to homeless households pendingenquiries into their homeless applicationand to homeless households accepted ashomeless.

uunivERSal CREdita new type of benefit designed to supportpeople who are on a low income or out ofwork. It will replace six existing benefits andis currently being rolled out across the uK.the new system is based on a singlemonthly payment, transferred directly intoa bank account

wwelfare Reform actact of parliament which made changes tothe rules concerning a number of benefitsoffered within the social security system. Itwas enacted by parliament on 8 march2012.

www.iPSwiCh.gOv.uk

Caroline Elias-StephensonPolicy & Strategy Officer

[email protected]

ipswich’s homelessness & rough sleeping strategy 2019 - 2024 · partnership to work with it....

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