Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Customer Access.

People Scrutiny Committee considered the report at its meeting on 2 June 2016 and its comments will be reported.

The report of the Assistant Director Customer Access was submitted setting out the Joint Exeter and Teignbridge Homelessness Strategy. The Strategy had been developed through a cross-Party Task and Finish Group comprising Members from Exeter City Council, Teignbridge District Council and local partners. It identified how the proposed plans addressed the priority issues identified by residents, key partners, Members, and stakeholders through the response to consultation.

The Assistant Director Customer Access advised Members that the Strategy had been considered by Teignbridge District Council and some minor amendments had been agreed, but were not substantive changes.

The Portfolio Holder for Customer Access thanks the officers for all the work undertaken on the Strategy. The Strategy had a large action plan and over the coming months the changes proposed would come forward.

The System Lead – Housing clarified that the number of cases where homelessness was prevented and relieved was now on the increase.

People Scrutiny Committee considered the report at its meeting on 2 June 2016 and its comments were reported.

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)        approve the draft Joint Homelessness Strategy for Exeter and Teignbridge 2016-2021, subject to the changes as appended to the minutes;

(2)        note the findings of the Business Impact Assessment; and

(3)        note the process and outcomes of the ‘You said, we did’ consultation exercise.

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Customer Access.

The Assistant Director Customer Access presented the report setting out the Joint Exeter and Teignbridge Homelessness Strategy. The Strategy had been developed through a cross-Party Task and Finish Group comprising Members from Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Council and local partners. It identified how the proposed plans addressed the priority issues identified by residents, key partners, Members, and stakeholders through the response to consultation.

The System Lead Housing summarised the background, recent achievements and plans for the future within the strategy through a presentation covering rising demand for Housing Advice services, rough sleeping and street attachment in the City, investment in homelessness, access to services and money matters. There were over 3,500 sleeping rough nationally with 27 individuals recorded in Exeter at the November count. With regard to health and wellbeing, there was a strong link between homelessness and mental health, with Exeter’s statistics being notably higher than the national average and had increased significantly since 2010. Further research on this issue was being undertaken as it was hoped that the establishment of Integrated Care Exeter (ICE) and the re-alignment of the health, social care and housing services would lead to an improvement in collaborative working.

Members remarked on the high percentage of former military personnel amongst the homeless, the varying nature of mental health and that the homeless cohort encompassed varying strands of society including the young and professionals. It was also noted that the majority of the Exeter homeless were local in origin and the belief that a high percentage from outside the area gravitated to Exeter was a misnomer.

The System Lead Housing explained that the Government’s intention was for local authorities to assume complete responsibility for homelessness but that budgetary support was presently unclear. Exeter was working with other authorities in trialling a model system.

People Scrutiny Committee:-

(1)        endorsed the content and aims of the draft Joint homelessness Strategy for Exeter and Teignbridge 2016-2021, for consideration by Executive and Council;

(2)        noted the findings of the Business Impact Assessment; and;

(3)        noted the process and outcomes of the “You said, we did” consultation exercise:-