Homelessness
Strategy 2016-19
The Vision
Create opportunities and
choice to enable people
to stay in their homes or
to find alternative quality
housing options so as to
minimise homelessness in
the city.
1
2
Contents
Page 4:
Introduction
Page 6:
Priority One: Tackling Rough Sleeping
Page 9:
Priority Two: Maximising Prevention
Page 12:
Priority Three: Minimising the need for
Temporary Accommdation
Page 15:
Priority Four: Developing Partnerships
Page 18:
Going Forward
3
Introduction
Reducing homelessness is a priority for Leeds City Council. This Homelessness
Strategy sets out how the Council and its partners will achieve this. Leeds City
Council has a vision to be the ‘Best City/Best Council’ in the UK framed around
an ambition that Leeds has a ‘Strong Economy’ and is a ‘Compassionate
City’. The Leeds Homelessness Strategy will contribute to the ambition to be a
‘Compassionate City’.
The Council and its partners have made some significant progress in tackling
homelessness over the last few years:
•
Rough Sleeping numbers are stable, and have been reduced in the last two years, when the national picture is one of substantial increase in numbers.
•
The city is getting increasingly effective at preventing homelessness by either helping people to stay in their existing homes or help to find a new home before they become homeless.
•
Temporary accommodation numbers are at the lowest level since at least
the 1980s and no household is placed in ‘unsuitable’ temporary accommodation.
•
4
A partnership approach has been strengthened and tackling homelessness is increasingly contributing to wider social care priorities around helping vulnerable people and families to live independently in communities.
The Homelessness Strategy will demonstrate how early intervention and
prevention will continue to be framed around four main priorities setting out
‘What We Have Done’ and, more importantly, ‘What We Will Do Now’. These
priorities focus on:
•
Offering the right support and services to ensure that no person needs to sleep rough in the city.
•
Maximising homeless prevention activity and outcomes.
•
Minimising the need for temporary accommodation and modernise housing related support services.
•
Further developing the partnership approach to tackling homelessness.
Each of the four priorites will have a number of actions and performance targets.
Progress will be monitored by the Leeds Homelessness Forum: the multi-agency
homeless strategic partnership for Leeds.
The Homelessness Strategy will exist within the context of an uncertain
economic climate, reductions in public sector funding, patterns of migration
and changes to welfare benefits. All of these issues will represent significant
challenges to the city but this has been the position for a number of years and
we have still made significant progress in tackling homelessness. The Leeds
Homelessness Strategy reflects Leeds’ commitment to tacking homelessness
and being the ‘Best’ and most ‘Compassionate City’.
5
Priority One
Offer the right support and services so that no
person needs to sleep rough in Leeds
What is Rough Sleeping?
The government definition of rough sleeping is:
“People sleeping, or bedded down, in the open air (such as on the streets, or in doorways,
parks or bus shelters); people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation such
as barns, sheds, car parks, cards, derelict boats, stations or temporary shelters (known as
‘bashes’).”
The definition of what constitutes being “bedded down” has changed to include rough
sleepers about to bed down (e.g. sitting or standing near their bedding but not actually lying
down). The definition includes people in tents (not on campsites or organised protests).1
A long-term (or entrenched) rough sleeper is someone who has been identified as sleeping
rough for at least 50 occasions over a 5 year period (within the last ten years).2
What have we done
Each year, the government asks local authorities to report the figure for rough sleepers in
their district; this figure can be based upon either an estimate or an actual count.
Table 1: Number of rough sleepers identified by authority3
Leeds
Birmingham
Manchester
Bristol
Sheffield
2012
11
8
27
9
11
2013
13
14
24
41
17
2014
15
20
43
41
10
2015
13
36
70
97
11
The Leeds figure is derived from an actual count carried out, in partnership with CGL (the
commissioned street outreach service provider), every November.
Table 1 shows rough sleeper numbers by year in Leeds and other comparable authorities. The
government has published a report stating that rough sleeper numbers rose by 30% between
2014 and 2015. Leeds is bucking this trend with a small reduction in the figure over the last
two years.
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What we will do now
Nevertheless, there is much to do and the
city needs to be ambitious in its work around
rough sleeping. We believe that the Council
and partners can offer the right support and
services so that no person needs to sleep
rough in Leeds. We need to be realistic
and accept that some people will do so but
we can minimise this number. There are
three autumn headcounts within the term of
this strategy and we aim to reduce rough
sleeping to no more than 10 people in
2016, 7 in 2017 and 5 by 2018.
We believe that the right support and
services includes maintaining a street
outreach service and an emergency
accommodation hub.
CGL4 is the commissioned street outreach
service for the city and carries out street
searches (minimum of three times per
week/every night in cold weather) to find
rough sleepers and assist them to secure
accommodation and support. St. George’s
Crypt5 provides the Hub service comprising
a minimum of 12 bed-spaces for people who
are either rough sleeping or at risk of rough
sleeping. The services are complemented
by Leeds Housing Options which works to
offer longer-term housing options for people
placed into the Hub service. This strategy
sets out a target to find Hub residents
longer-term housing options within 72
hours of being placed.
Communication with rough sleepers has
highlighted that the type of accommodation
being offered can act as a barrier to coming
off the street with a number of people
stating they are reluctant to go in to hostelstyle accommodation. The current review
of commissioned housing related support
services will ensure that the right type of
accommodation options are in place for
people who would otherwise be sleeping
rough in the future.
Europeans) who have no recourse to public
funds because they are not working. We
will maintain our reconnections service that
covers transportation costs to assist people
to return to their country of origin. We do
accommodate foreign nationals in the Hub to
give people the opportunity to seek work and
therefore become eligible for public services.
The biggest challenge around rough
sleeping will be helping the most entrenched,
who often have a multiplicity of needs and
a long history of failed housing options, to
come off the streets. Part of the answer will
be improving engagement with health and
social care partners to give people a holistic
package of care and support attached to the
right housing option. Nevertheless, the city
will not give up on working with entrenched
rough sleepers whilst they are sleeping out.
This commitment is illustrated in Case Study
1.
Case Study 1
L was an entrenched rough sleeper in her
late 60s who had been sleeping rough
under a self-made canopy in the city
centre for over ten years.
L had a positive relationship with staff
at the primary care centre but was often
verbally abusive to staff from CGL who
she blamed for having her placed on a
section a number of years previously.
CGL did not give up and L formed a good
working relationship with one particular
staff member. He persuaded her to go
and look at a tenancy in North Leeds
and she accepted the tenancy and has
since moved in. The Council bought her
some furniture through the Homelessness
Prevention Fund.
A number of rough sleepers in Leeds
are foreign nationals (generally eastern
7
This strategy recognises that there is much
to do in terms of making the distinction
between people who are sleeping rough and
those who are living a street lifestyle in the
city - including begging.
Project Verto (West Yorkshire Police initiative
to disrupt begging in the city) identified 85
regular street beggars within the City – 13
of those were known to CGL to have slept
rough at some point in the past. The majority
of street beggars had stable housing.
This strategy recognises that many street
beggars have a multiplicity of need and
Project Verto is focused on offering ongoing
support and assistance around issues such
as drug and alcohol dependency.
The Homelessness Strategy recognises a
need to do more to engage with the people
of Leeds to give more information (including
via the use of social media) on the distinction
between begging and rough sleeping and
also as to how people can use their time and
Actions
►►Continue to develop the
partnership between the Council,
CGL and St George’s Crypt to
ensure rough sleepers are found
and offered the right housing
support and options.
►►Continue to activate cold
weather arrangements on the first
night of sub-zero temperature.
►►Continue to deliver a
reconnections service.
►►Carry out a review of housing
related support services to put in
place the right supported housing
options for rough sleepers.
►►Build partnerships with health
and social care agencies to put
in place the right packages of
support and care for entrenched
rough sleepers.
►►Develop the use of social
media to best help people who are
sleeping rough.
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resources to best help rough sleepers and
beggars.
A good example of this is the food voucher
scheme ‘Give Me Some Credit’ provided by
St. George’s Crypt.6
People can buy a £5 book of five vouchers,
including in the 13 Leeds Building Society
branches in Leeds, and give the vouchers to
homeless people; perhaps as an alternative
to giving money. The benefits of doing so are
highlighted in T’s story.
Case Study 2
T visited St George’s Crypt for the first
time after he was handed a “Give Me
Some Credit” voucher by a member of
the public. He exchanged the voucher
for a free meal at the Crypt. Staff offered
him a hot shower and a change of
clothes. T had not showered for several
days and came out feeling refreshed,
‘like a new person’.
Staff discovered that T had a problem
with his leg and had been in pain for
a long time but had not accessed any
healthcare in relation to this problem.
With support from Crypt staff T was able
to access treatment.
From there, T was encouraged to go
to Housing Options for emergency
accommodation for that evening. He was
able to stay at the Crypt until suitable
accommodation was found.
Targets
►►No more than 10 rough sleepers found
in autumn 2016, 7 in 2017 and no more
than 5 by 2018.
►►Street searches carried out every night
during cold weather.
►►Every person placed into the hub
offered a longer-term housing option within
72 hours of being placed.
Priority Two
Maximise homelessness prevention activity and
outcomes
What is homeless prevention?
A homeless prevention is an intervention, on the part of a service, that enables a person
who is threatened with homelessness to either ‘stay put’ in their existing home or to
make a ‘planned move’ to alternative suitable housing – the assumption is that the
housing secured will be available on an on-going basis and for at least 6 months.
The previous Leeds homelessness strategies have focused on maximising homeless
prevention outcomes and this has been reflected in a number of initiatives that the
Council either provides or supports.
What have we done
Private Sector Lettings
Scheme
The private rented sector is an increasingly
important housing tenure in the city (with more
private rented housing in the city than council
houses) both as a long-term housing option or
as a stepping stone to home-ownership or social
housing. The Leeds Housing Options Service runs
a Private Lettings Scheme which offers quality
(inspected) properties managed by accredited
landlords to homeless people. The Homeless
Prevention Fund covers the cost of up-front bond
payments or end of tenancy (damage liability)
payments covering the cost of damage or loss
incurred by the landlord during the tenancy. In
2015/16, 717 lettings were set up through the
scheme.
Sanctuary Scheme
Relationship breakdowns with a partner involving
violence was historically the main cause of
homelessness in Leeds. We identified that the
majority of people experiencing domestic violence
were not living with the perpetrator and wished to
stay in their existing home. The Sanctuary Scheme
involves the installation of a range of security
measures to create a ‘safer’ living environment.
The scheme is a partnership between the council
and West Yorkshire Police with the latter carrying
out the assessments of what security measures are
required. The scheme is free to any person who
is assessed as needing it. In 2016 there were 447
Sanctuary installations.
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Youth Mediation
Parental evictions were historically the second main
reason for homelessness in Leeds. We believe that,
wherever possible, young people should continue to
live at home until they are able to make a planned
and sustainable move into independent living.
The council runs a long-standing youth mediation
service that helps young people to reconcile their
differences with their parents so that they can
either return home on an indefinite basis or at least
until they can make a planned move with ongoing
support from their parents. This service is especially
important for the LGB&T* community who comprise
24% of the youth homelessness population7. In
2015/16 530 young people were helped to return or
maintain living with their parents.
What we will do now
Mortgage & Tenancy Advice
The changing financial landscape in the UK has
resulted in more people than ever struggling to pay
their rent or mortgage. The Leeds Housing Options
Mortgage & Tenancy Advice team work with people
in arrears, providing them with budgeting and
tenancy advice with a view to helping them to stay
in their homes. The team negotiate with Lenders
and Landlords to resolve a range of difficulties
which are putting the person’s home at risk and are
successful in preventing over 98% of evictions due
to arrears with those customers who engage with
the service. The team also provide high-quality,
free tenancy relations advice to both landlords and
tenants. In 2015/16, 398 home-owners and tenants
were assisted to retain their current home through
an advice intervention at Leeds Housing Options.
service offer to perpetrators will therefore be
critical to promote the safety of victims as
We are in the process of improving the private much as possible.
rented housing offer by enhancing the existing
Private Sector Letting Scheme. The scheme
The Youth Mediation Service will be
will offer an enhanced and dedicated service maintained but a greater focus will be placed
to landlords with the option of the council
on engaging with young people and parents
arranging for the annual gas and electricity
before a relationship breakdown has occurred.
checks and a repair service which will include A range of welfare changes, including that
out of hours and emergency repairs. Properties 18-21 year olds will not routinely receive
will only be let through the scheme if they meet the housing element of Universal Credit, will
requisite standards of repair. Development
have an impact upon young people’s capacity
of the private sector lettings acheme will be
to live independently if they are benefit
linked to wider private sector work including
dependent. The strategy sets out the action to
the council’s new enforcement policy tackling work with young people and families to give
rogue landlords and the proposed Leeds rental them the right information on the realities of
standard of accreditation.
benefit entitlement and homelessness. This
advice will include offering youth mediation
Leeds is committed to tackling the causes and before problems escalate to the point when
effects of domestic violence. The Sanctuary
homelessness occurs.
Scheme will be the corner-stone of our offer
to people experiencing domestic violence. It
Universal Credit and welfare reforms, will put
is recognised that people from the LGB+T*
increasing pressures on household budgets
community suffer a disproportionally high
and landlord’s capacity to collect rent. We
8
incidence of domestic abuse and it is a
anticipate that more people will fall behind with
priority to encourage members of the LGB+T* rent charges, be subject to possession action
community to come forward and disclose this and the threat of homelessness. Initiatives
information. Homeless services will play an
such as the Leeds Credit Union ‘Bill Paying
active role in the development of the domestic Account’10 will assist households to more
violence Front Door Hub9, ensuring that people effectively manage their finances. Advice
have the right options made available to them services will need to work with households
on an immediate basis. We recognise that
and landlords in a timely and targeted way to
victims of domestic violence are often at the
ensure that help is offered before problems
most risk in the immediate period after they
become too difficult to resolve.
are no longer living with the perpetrator. The
10
The strategy set aims to deliver more
prevention outcomes that do not require a
proactive intervention on the part of a service
with a greater focus on assisting people,
through the provision of better information, to
resolve their own difficulties. A good example
would be home-owners who have lost their
job and will struggle in the future to pay their
mortgage. We can better use social media to
get key messages out, such as not delaying
contacting their mortgage lender, and providing
links to information on resolving financial
difficulties.
The strategy will also seek to broaden the
prevention focus to all services involved with
working with potentially homeless people.
Helping people to sustain a tenancy is aligned
to homeless prevention and both private and
social landlords will have a role in maximising
preventative work and outcomes. The review
of housing related services has resulted in a
shift from accommodation based support to
visiting support, with the aim of helping people
sustain housing options. Homeless prevention
is also reflected in the work of social care
services helping keep vulnerable adults out
of residential care and living in the community
or children continuing to living in a family
environment.
Case Study 3
G was a woman with 5 children. She was evicted from her social housing tenancy due to not
paying top up payments on her rent. She was affected by the Benefit Cap and struggled to
manage her finances. She had been unable to find alternative accommodation as landlords
were unwilling to take her on as a tenant given her previous failed tenancy. Following a housing
needs assessment, our Private Sector Lettings Scheme liaised with private landlords to source
a 3 bed property in the area she required. Additionally, visiting support was put in place to assist
G to better manage her finances and sustain her tenancy. A payment plan was put in place to
address G’s rent arrears which led to her being eligible to be offered an LCC tenancy. Following
the expiration of her private tenancy, G moved in to a secure LCC tenancy with support in place to
assist her in sustaining it.
Case Study 4
W lived in an owner occupied property with his partner and their teenage child. W was diagnosed
with a terminal illness and had to leave work due to ill health. W was unable to keep up payments
on his mortgage and secured loans and was at risk of his property being repossessed. While the
property was becoming increasingly difficult for W to manage due to his deteriorating physical
health, he and his family wanted to be able to stay in their family home for W’s last years. The
Mortgage & Tenancy Advice team were able to assist W to apply for and secure his full benefits
entitlement significantly increasing the income into the household. The team then negotiated
with the two lenders to secure payment arrangements which were affordable for W and would
prevent any further action from being taken. Housing Options then referred the case to the Health
& Housing team who carried out adaptations to W’s property to enable him to continue to live
independently with his family.
Actions
►► Continue to develop the housing advice and support
offer through the DV Front Door Hub.
►► Focus on the housing advice and support offer to young
people (and parents) who may become homeless in future.
►► Further develop housing advice and support offer to
people in mortgage and rent arrears.
►► Improve housing advice offer to people so they can
resolve own housing difficulties.
►► Set up LGB+T* DV training to be run to raise
awareness of the issue.
Targets
►►Minimum 750 private sector lettings
per year.
►►Minimum 400 Sanctuary installations
per year.
►►Minimum 500 youth mediation
successes per year.
►►Minimum 500 mortgage and tenancy
preventions per year.
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Priority Three
Minimise the need for temporary accommodation
and deliver a modernised programme of housing
related support
The Council has a duty to secure ‘suitable’ temporary accommodation for homeless
households to whom it owes a housing duty; those assessed as eligible for assistance,
unintentionally homeless and in priority need. The duty applies pending longer-term
accommodation being secured. This might be a private rented or a social housing
tenancy. The Council has a duty to not place homeless families in bed and breakfast
accommodation other than in exceptional circumstances and then for no longer than 6
weeks.
Temporary accommodation services can be split into two categories: supported
housing commissioned through what was formerly the Supporting People programme
and temporary accommodation sourced through a contracted private landlord. The
supported housing commissioning budget has been significantly reduced in recent
years as part of the wider reduction in public sector funding. It is likely that the pressure
on the supported housing funding pot will continue in the next three years and the
outcomes of the housing related support review are currently being implemented. The
reviews focus is on making sure that commissioning is targeted at meeting the most
need and providing services that best reflect vulnerable people’s requirements.
What have we done
households placed - a reduction of over
54% in ten months. The end of March 2016
Temporary accommodation placements are
figure included 3 placements made with the
currently at the lowest level in Leeds since
contracted private provider. The number of
at least the 1980s. At the end of March
placements made with the contracted private
2016 there were 73 households placed in
providers peaked at 385 in September
emergency accommodation; the comparative 2008. The 99% reduction in private sector
figure for the end of May 2015 was 161
placements has happened concurrently
12
with the decommissioning of a number of
supported housing services.
placements has been achieved by a focus
on homeless prevention and move on
work. Homeless prevention activity is set
The Leeds experience compares favourably out in Priority Two of the strategy. The
with that of other comparable authorities: the Leeds Housing Options service has taken
end of March 2016 figure of 73 placements
a lead on move-on work, especially in the
compares to 1,064 in Birmingham and 562 in privately sourced units, and this has been
Manchester.
complemented by commissioned supported
housing services placing a greater emphasis
Leeds did not place a homeless family in
on this work. The Homeless Prevention Fund
bed and breakfast accommodation for the
has been used to facilitate timely movewhole of 2015/16. The non-use of bed and
on by helping people to furnish their new
breakfast accommodation was identified as
homes. The Housing Options service has
an example of good practice by OFSTED
also benefitted from being part of the wider
as part of the inspection of Leeds Children’s Housing Leeds service with a joint focus on
Services.
tenancy sustainment/homeless prevention,
swifter re-letting times and joint discussions
The reduction in temporary accommodation around suitable lettings for homeless people.
Table 2: Number of temporary accommodation placements:
Month:
05/15 06/15
07/15
08/15
09/15 10/15
11/15 12/15 01/16
02/16
03/16
LEAP
42
36
33
21
18
4
5
0
0
0
0
Holdforth Court
34
28
30
28
29
27
30
27
27
18
24
Oakdale House
6
6
7
8
6
7
5
9
9
8
5
Reconnect
30
31
32
35
30
23
16
12
14
15
13
RD Willis
17
12
10
7
4
2
1
4
4
3
3
Seacole House
8
6
8
7
9
6
9
11
11
10
6
Stonham
24
25
20
20
23
23
23
17
23
22
22
Total in TA
161
144
140
126
119
92
89
80
88
76
73
What we will do now
The roll out of Universal Credit, and other welfare reforms, will represent a significant
challenge in respect of Priority Three both in terms of more people potentially becoming
homeless and affecting current and proposed models of supported housing. For example,
18-21 year olds will not routinely be eligible for the housing element of Universal Credit
and the government has suggested that all forms of accommodation for single under 35s
will be subject to the ‘shared room’ rate of approximately £65 per week. This proposal,
if implemented, could make some current supported housing services uneconomic to
provide and this has been factored into the review of housing related support services.
13
The welfare reform changes/proposals thus emphasise the need to maximise homeless
prevention activity and outcomes.
The review of housing related support services has resulted in a greater focus on visiting
support services (which will promote homeless prevention outcomes) compared to
emergency accommodation services. The review has also highlighted the preference
homeless people have for dispersed self-contained temporary accommodation rather
than larger shared hostel style provision. This point is reflected in the challenge that
the city has faced in moving entrenched rough sleepers off the streets with some being
clear that they will not use hostels. The commissioned model is therefore framed around
a focus on visiting support, a reduced number of emergency accommodation units and
more dispersed self-contained and group home provisions. The focus on minimising
temporary accommodation placements will therefore continue. The Leeds Housing
Options service will work with commissioned service providers to deliver best use of
supported housing units and timely move-on from temporary accommodation.
The quality of temporary accommodation is an important consideration for the strategy.
Leeds does not use bed and breakfast accommodation for families with all placements
being in self-contained units, and is never forced to make placements in another
authority area because of the shortage of available options in Leeds. All temporary
accommodation is subject to inspection by the Council’s Private Sector Housing Team
and this commitment will continue.
Actions
►►Continue to focus on work that
prevents the need for TA placements.
►►Continue to focus on timely move-on
from TA placements.
►►Respond to the impact of welfare
reform changes.
►►Continue to implement the review of
housing related support services.
Targets
►►Reduce temporary accommodation
to no more than 50 by the end of March
2019.
►►Ensure that no family needs to
be placed in bed and breakfast
accommodation for the term of the
strategy.
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Priority Four
Further develop the partnership approach to tackling
homelessness
Positive outcomes for vulnerable people can best be achieved by working in
partnership with a range of statutory, voluntary and private sector partners. The
Council will seek to build on the partnership working already in place to best meet
the strategic priorities of ensuring that no person needs to sleep rough, maximising
homeless prevention, minimising the need for temporary accommodation placements
and modernising housing related support services. This work will also contribute to
wider strategic priorities and promote the aim of Leeds being a ‘compassionate’ city.
What we have done
Young Persons Panel
In December 2013, the Young Person’s
Panel was created. This is a joint panel
involving Leeds Housing Options, the
third sector and Children’s Services with
an overarching aim to deliver a complete
package of support to the most vulnerable
young people to remove no barriers to
living successfully and independently. The
Panel meets fortnightly and in a recent
OFSTED inspection of Children’s Services
was cited as an example of best practice.
Front Door Safeguarding Hub
In April 2014, the FDSH was set up, bringing
together a wide range of partner agencies
including housing, the police, health care
services, education, children’s services and
mental health services. The Hub provides
a rapid response for all cases of domestic
violence call outs that have taken place in the
preceding 24 hours. By working together, the
FDSH is able to deliver intensive, tailored and
immediate responses to high risk domestic
violence cases. Housing Options work to
provide all victims with the option to either stay
in their current home (e.g. via a Sanctuary
installation) or to move to alternative safe
accommodation (e.g. specialist hostel provision
or a private rented tenancy).
15
Private Sector
The Council works closely with landlords
in the private sector to match their
empty properties with potential tenants
who are in housing need. Last year, we
assisted 770 households to secure a
private rented tenancy via our in-house
Private Sector Lettings Scheme which
offers Landlords a range of benefits
including damage liability, direct benefits
payments and a quick turnaround time
(e.g. an average ‘advertised to let’ time
of 4 days). All properties are inspected
and landlords accredited thus ensuring
that tenants can be confident that they
are moving in to a good quality, well
managed property.
NHS
The council continued its work with local
hospitals and acute care providers to
ensure that no discharge is delayed
as a result of a housing need. Housing
Options provides a specialist in situ
assessment service for a range of NHS
facilities where people are becoming
ready for discharge but have no suitable
accommodation to which they can
return. This joint working between the
council and the NHS ensures timely and
appropriate discharges and has resulted
in a decline in ‘bed blocking’ due to
housing needs.
What we will do now
We will mirror the work we have done with the young person’s panel to set up a vulnerable
adult’s panel. This panel will consist of the housing options service and the adult social
care service who will work together to provide a package of support and housing options to
vulnerable adults including entrenched rough sleepers.
We will expand the work we are doing with the victims of domestic violence to include
young people at risk of or suffering from domestic violence and abuse in the fortnightly
young person’s panel. We recognise that many victims of domestic violence struggle to
access services and therefore we are going to strengthen our partnership with the Joanna
Project11 and other similar agencies to provide timely housing advice to female sex workers
in a community setting as well as carry out joint home visits to victims with the police in
their own homes.
We have already established a team
dedicated to the rehousing of newly
arrived refugees from Syria called the
Refugee Rehousing Team. We are
working in partnership with Migration
Yorkshire and the Refugee Council
to ensure that the new arrivals are
being housed in appropriate and safe
accommodation. Going forward we will
be offering intensive 2 year support to
refugess who have been rehoused in
Leeds through this scheme.
We are increasing our offering for vulnerable customers with mental health issues by
strengthening our partnerships with mental health support services to provide a
housing advice and preventative interventions alongside support providers to stop
tenancies failing and/or reaching crisis point.
16
Case Study 6
Actions
►►Set up a vulnerable adults panel.
►►Include young victims of domestic
violence in the young person’s panel.
►►Provide increased community based
housing advice to female sex workers.
►►Provide increased joint home visits for
victims of domestic violence.
►►Capture robust equality monitoring
information to provide accessible services.
►►Strengthen partnerships with community
based mental health support services
to maximise tenancy sustainment
opportunities.
Case Study 5
An incident was discussed at the Front
Door Safeguarding Hub where a 15 year
old girl had reported to the police concerns
over the domestic violence her sister had
been suffering.
The victim did not want to provide a
statement as she was fearful for her life
after being unlawfully imprisoned and
assaulted by her partner. The police did not
have the identity of the perpetrator and no
lead in the investigation.
Over the course of the ‘Hub’, it became
apparent that the victim had approached
Leeds Housing Options asking for
assistance with her accommodation due to
suffering with domestic violence.
The housing advisor had seen her, filled
in the necessary risk assessment and
taken the details of the perpetrator. This
information was shared instantly at the hub
and a warrant for the perpetrator’s arrest
was immediately circulated.
D was an elderly gentleman who had
been staying in the acute ward at The
Mount and had serious mental health
and addiction issues. He had a problem
with hoarding and due to physical health
issues which left him in a wheelchair,
he had a lot of difficulty maintaining the
property. Age Concern was assisting
him to find a new property as his
discharge was significantly delayed due
to having no suitable accommodation
available.
The outreach advisor who assessed
D liaised with health and housing to
access the Disability Facilities Grant
to pay for his property to be cleaned.
Close working with the housing officer
for that area ensured access to the
property was granted and it was
agreed that D’s support workers at Age
Concern would check on him weekly
once he was back home and assist him
with any cleaning issues. The NHS staff
who worked with D at The Mount were
kept informed every step of the way and
they in turn informed D and set out clear
expectations for him upon discharge.
Close partnership working in this
instance not only provided a successful
prevention outcome for a vulnerable
customer, but also took the pressure
off NHS staff that were having to care
for a patient who was past ready for
discharge.
Targets
►►No housing related delayed
discharges.
►►No child being placed into care due to
housing needs.
►►No household with dependent children
evicted without a case conference.
►►All assessments and interventions
picked up from the FDSH started on the
same day.
17
Going Forward
Progress against the four priorities of the Homelessness Strategy will be
reported to the Leeds Homelessness Forum (multi-agency homeless strategic
partnership for the city) which meets on a quarterly basis. It is intended that
each forum meeting focuses on a strategic theme and therefore each one will
be covered over the course of a twelve month period.
An action plan, including the actions and targets set out in the strategy, will be
developed for each theme and these will be regularly updated and reported
into the Homeless Forum.
We believe the 4 priorities cover the key issues to best reduce homelessness
in the city over the next three days. The strategy will be a living document and
will be evolve to reflect and respond to change as needed.
18
References
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_
data/file/6009/1713784.pdf
2. http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/Rough%20Sleeping%20205.pdf
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-englandautumn-2015
4. http://www.changegrowlive.org/content/leeds-street-outreach-service
5. http://www.stgeorgescrypt.org.uk/charity/
6. http://www.stgeorgescrypt.org.uk/charity/component/k2/item/318%C2%A31-voucher-scheme.html
7. http://www.akt.org.uk/webtop/modules/_repository/documents/AlbertKennedy_ResearchReport_FINALInteractive.pdf
8. http://www.stonewall.org.uk/sites/default/files/Domestic_Abuse_
Stonewall_Health_Briefing__2012_.pdf
9. http://www.leeds.gov.uk/c/Pages/saferleeds/Domestic-violence-team.
aspx
10.http://www.leedscitycreditunion.co.uk/content.asp?section=199
11.http://joannaproject.co.uk/
19
Housing Support
2 Great George Street
Leeds
LS2 8BA
Tel 0113 222 44 12
[email protected]
@LeedsHsgOptions