Equality Impact Assessment Form
Part 1: Screening
Name of Strategy/Policy/Project/Function:
Completing Officer’s Name:
Completing Officer’s Telephone Number:
Date Completed:
Homelessness Strategy
Richard Robinson
Esther Lear
01737 276367
September 2011
Updated following consultation Jan 2012
Section One: Identify Your Aims and Objectives
The purpose of an Equality Impact Assessment is to improve the work of the Council by making sure that
we promote equality and do not discriminate. This method is used to ensure that individuals and teams
consider the likely impact of their work on residents and take action to improve strategies, procedures,
projects and functions where necessary.
What is the main purpose of this strategy?
There is a statutory requirement under the Homelessness Act 2002 for all local authorities to publish a
Homelessness Strategy to set out their priorities and their future direction and to reflect on past
performance.
The Homelessness Strategy sits beneath our overarching housing strategy, the East Surrey Housing
Strategy.
Separate Equality Impact Assessments have been carried out for the Housing Options function and for the
East Surrey Housing Strategy.
List the main activities & objectives or main policy areas of this strategy
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To develop a Housing Options Approach
To strengthen partnership working
To engage the private rented sector
To increase supply of and maximise use of existing affordable housing
To deliver efficient customer-focused services
To review past performance
Who are the main beneficiaries of this strategy?
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Anyone approaching the Council for housing advice and information.
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Financially excluded groups will benefit from current and future projects and initiatives around debt
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advice and financial inclusion. The Housing Team now employs a Tenancy Sustainment Officer
offering advice on rent arrears, personal debt and budgeting issues – this means we have a
presence at County Court. This is a new area of work, which it is intended through the strategy will
continue into the future.
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Single homeless people, a group who can be put at a disadvantage by homeless legislation, now
benefit from two rent deposit schemes in the Borough.
In what way are the main beneficiaries affected by this strategy?
Future projects and initiatives listed in the Delivery Plan are intended to benefit those who use the service.
This strategy is intended to increase equality across the board, working within statutory guidelines. It is
intended that the strategy will minimise any negative impact of government policies which may affect
different groups in different ways. (For example, the age group 25-35 may be disadvantaged by changes to
housing benefit regulations. We are now offering more comprehensive financial advice through the
creation of the Tenancy Sustainment Officer post.)
The strategy sets the long-term future direction of our housing options service and our approach to
homelessness, and aims to ensure that no group is treated less favourably.
Section Two: Consider Data and Research
Exploring available data and conducting research will help to give an indication as to what impact the
strategy will have on equality and diversity.
Where data is limited or unavailable, managers should identify this as a limitation and identify ways to
overcome this. This may include contacting specialist or other external organisations, or by conducting
further research of existing regional and national data.
What data is available to help direct the EIA?
A wide range of customers, partners and stakeholders were given the opportunity to comment on the Draft
Homelessness Strategy. The consultees included individuals and groups representing characteristics
which are protected under the Equality Act 2010. The responses received fed into the final version of the
strategy.
In addition to the consultation results, we have considered the evidence base for the Homelessness
Strategy (including the government P1E return) which provides evidence on ethnicity, disability, gender and
age.
Are there any gaps in data that may require further research or consultation?
Data on religion and sexual orientation of housing advice customers and homeless applicants is not
currently collected.
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Section Three: Assess The Impact on Equality Target Groups
Assess where you think the strategy could have a negative impact on any of the equality target groups i.e.
where it could disadvantage them. Also consider where the strategy could have a positive impact or could
contribute to promoting equality, equal opportunities or improving relations with equality target groups.
Consider the following:
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Publicity, including design, distribution and accessible communications issues
Physical access
Location, geography
Poverty, deprivation and social exclusion issues
Employment
Safety
Direct discrimination: does the strategy intentionally exclude a particular equality group? If so, is
this exclusion justified? Are the strategy and its outcomes likely to be equally accessed by all (are
there barriers that might inhibit access to the service for some people)?
Lack of data may make completing this section difficult, but is not be a reason to halt the process.
Please continue to complete this form.
Completing the table below will predict the likely impact on the target groups. You are
not required to complete each box, only those that are relevant. Relevant boxes are
those where there is a disproportionate or greater impact either way.
Positive
Impact
Neutral
Negative Impact
Older people
Low
High
Younger
people &
children
Low
High
Single
people aged
25-35 yrs
Low
High
Age
Reason
More housing options
are available to this age
group (e.g. over 50s
flats – often low demand
for these).
Joint 16/17 year old
protocol with Children’s
Services to ensure
joined up working.
This age group are
affected by national
changes to the Local
Housing Allowance,
meaning that they will
only qualify for Housing
Benefit to cover a room
in a shared house. The
work of the Benefits and
Housing Options teams
will ensure that the
changes are publicised
and understood,
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Physical
Low
High
Sensory
Low
High
Learning
Low
High
Long-term
Health
Impairment
Low
High
Women
Low
High
Men
Low
High
Trans-men
and -women
Low
High
Disability
Long-term
health
impairment
includes
mental health
problems,
asthma, heart
conditions,
chronic fatigue
etc
Gender
Gender
reassignme
nt
enabling those affected
to seek alternative
options early.
There are often limited
options for wheelchair
users due to a lack of
specialised adapted
accommodation in the
Borough – however we
have identified this as a
problem and we are
working with RPs to
adapt existing properties
in line with the ESHS
objective of making best
use of the housing
stock.
The Homelessness
Strategy will be made
available in Braille upon
request only. Joint
Supported Housing
Panel matches
applicants with a need
for supported housing to
available
accommodation.
The Homelessness
Strategy is not currently
available in Easy Read
format.
Joint Supported Housing
Panel matches
applicants with a need
for supported housing to
available supported
accommodation.
Joint Supported Housing
Panel matches
applicants with a need
for supported housing to
available supported
accommodation.
More support services
are available for women,
especially women in
care of children.
Less support is available
for men, especially parttime fathers. Refuge
accommodation is not
an option for male
Domestic Violence
victims.
No predicted high or low
impact. We need to
improve our
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Marriage
and civil
partnership
People who
are married
or in a civil
partnership
Low
High
Pregnancy
and
maternity
Mothers or
women who
are pregnant
Low
High
Asian
Low
High
Black
Low
High
Mixed race
Low
High
White
Low
High
Chinese
Low
High
Other racial
or ethnic
groups
(specify)
Low
High
Faith groups
Low
High
Heterosexua
ls, lesbians,
gay men and
Low
High
Race
These
categories are
those used in
the 2001
census
Religion or
belief
Consider faith
groups
individually and
collectively
Sexual
orientation
understanding of how
trans people are
affected by
homelessness,
however, corporately we
have decided not to
monitor which
customers have this
protected characteristic
in line with guidance
from organisations
supporting trans people.
Applicants are not
treated less favourably
as a result of their
marital status.
Immigration status may
be affected by a
decision to marry,
however, the way that
immigration status
relates to homelessness
applications is set out in
law and therefore sits
outside the remit of this
strategy.
This group are
automatically given
Priority Need according
to homeless legislation.
We lack up to date data
on the ethnic breakdown
of the Borough however
it still seems that a
slightly higher proportion
of homeless applications
are made by BME
households (however
this is a small variation.)
This trend will continue
to be monitored. All
homeless applications
are assessed fairly
according to statutory
criteria.
No impact has been
identified, however, we
acknowledge that at the
moment we do not have
sufficient data to be able
to make an informed
judgment. This has
been identified as an
action.
No impact has been
identified, however, we
acknowledge that at the
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moment we do not have
sufficient data to be able
to make an informed
judgment. This has
been identified as an
action.
Gypsy/Traveller housing
options - there are
currently no sites in the
Borough. However the
housing options advice
service is the same for
all applicants.
Single people have
been identified as a
group with less support
available to them. The
Homelessness Strategy
seeks to address this
through the introduction
of a new rent deposit
scheme in Reigate &
Banstead. In addition,
services for single
homeless people are
being investigated at a
county-wide level.
bisexuals
Other
Gypsies and
Travellers
Low
High
Single
people
Low
High
If you have indicated that there is a potential negative impact on any target group, are
these Intentional and/or of a High Impact?
Intended?
i.e. can be justified in terms of legislation
e.g. concessionary fares older people
Yes
No
High Impact?
i.e. it is or may be discriminatory against
one or more groups
Yes
No
Is the negative impact NOT INTENDED and/or of HIGH IMPACT?
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If YES, a full assessment is required. Please complete the Equality Impact Assessment Form
Part 2: Full Assessment.
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If NO, complete the rest of this form. Do not ignore low impacts- these could help you to
develop services in the future.
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Section Four: Improvement Planning
It is important to consider any influence that the strategy is having, or could potentially have, on the
individual strands of equality. The strategy should be examined for its effectiveness in:
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Promoting equality
Eliminating discrimination
Achieving equality
Could negative impacts be removed or minimised? Could positive impacts be improved and if so, how?
Analysis must be undertaken with the strategic objectives of the Council in mind and the questions should
reflect legal requirements, the emerging Local Development Framework and population needs.
Use the table below to record how you could minimise or remove any low negative impact
or improve the positive impact of the strategy.
Issue
Action
BME households have historically been slightly
over-represented in homeless applications
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Insufficient data on religion and sexual orientation
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Continue to monitor trend.
(The 2011 Census data will help to provide a
more accurate picture of the ethnicity
breakdown of the Borough)
Collect data using the corporate equality
monitoring form for homeless applicants and
housing options applicants where these are
interviewed in person (the corporate equality
monitoring form is not currently being used
for telephone conversations)
Update database to include new
characteristics so that these can be reported
on.
If there is no evidence that the strategy promotes equality, equal opportunities or improved
relations, could it be adapted so that it does? If so, how?
The Homelessness Strategy works alongside the statutory homelessness duty to ensure that no individual
or group is disadvantaged as a result of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, or for any other
reason, when homeless or needing housing advice. Statutory preference is given to the elderly, young
people, pregnant women and families with children under homelessness legislation. Outside our statutory
duties, we work to ensure that socially excluded groups (including the financially excluded) are equally able
to access the housing options service and to receive appropriate advice and assistance to prevent their
homelessness.
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Section Five: Monitoring and Reviewing
What data do you have that monitors the impact of the strategy on protected groups?
Statistical data about the Borough; data on homeless acceptances on the P1E return (age, disability,
gender, ethnicity); progress against the strategy action plan.
Research into the likely impact of housing benefit changes which negatively affect single people aged 2535 has been undertaken jointly between the Housing and Benefits teams. This will be monitored following
the introduction of these changes in April 2012.
How is this data used?
Data on age, disability, gender and ethnicity is recorded on the government P1E return for households
which are accepted as homeless. For homeless applications which are not accepted, this is also recorded.
However, for applicants who receive housing advice, but do not make a homeless application, the data is
not analysed.
The Housing Options team will write to single person households in the 25-35 age group who may be
affected by housing benefit changes to ensure that they are aware of the changes and all the options
available to them. Further options to assist single people to find accommodation are being investigated
jointly by the Surrey authorities.
If there is no data, explain how you intend to continue monitoring the impact of this
strategy:
We intend to review our progress against the Homelessness Strategy action plan, which includes specific
objectives relating to protected groups e.g. young mothers, single people.
We will also improve the equality data monitoring we carry out for customers attending housing options
interviews and for those who make a homeless application, in line with the new corporate equality
monitoring form.
Please send a copy of the completed form to the Equalities Steering Group, via Esther Lear, at
[email protected] .
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