Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy consultation

Focus on early intervention and prevention:

Stronger relationships 

• Identify where those approaching us went first to discuss their issues. By identifying these services, we can build better links with them and be informed of households at risk of homelessness at an earlier stage
• Work with local landlords and letting agencies to identify tenancies at risk at the earliest outset
• Consistent communication with social services to ensure joint working

Awareness 

• Increase public knowledge about the local housing shortages and what leads to homelessness. This is so residents can be proactive in resolving their housing difficulty and how to approach our service. 
• Stronger community presence so residents are aware of the support we can offer. 
•  Improve communication methods for social landlords, social services, refuges, support services to notify us of any housing related difficulties so that we can work to resolve them before the person is asked to leave the home

Provide holistic support to those experiencing rough sleeping and those with complex needs 

Stronger relationships

• Consistent communication with Surrey County Council to ensure access to accommodation that’s suitable for people with complex needs
• Strengthen our links with community, charity and faith sector organisations to ensure we are aware of rough sleeping within the Borough
• Continue to work in partnership with our providers of supported housing
• Improve our links with institutions such as hospitals and prison to identify those at risk of leaving with no fixed abode

Review

• Review our shared houses provision to ensure that it is still at the forefront of our approach to tackling rough sleeping 
• Re-fresh and develop our existing pathways to ensure that our intervention still meets the objectives of our ‘Rough Sleeping No Second Night Out’ policy

Improve 

• Develop our links with our local businesses further to build on our current package of welfare support 
• Continue to identify new funding streams to build on all our existing work 

Maximise move on options 

Finding new opportunities

• Explore new opportunities to work with Lettings agents and Landlords in and around the Borough and continue to build strong relationships with the landlord we already work with. 
• Seek to increase our options within the private rented sector, including shared properties for single people.

Promote existing resources

• Continue to make the best use of our current housing stock by considering mutual exchanges, reciprocal moves, provide incentives for moving to smaller homes. 
• Promote Homefinder UK, HomeSwapper and other national mobility schemes so tenants can exchange homes that best meet their needs.  
• Promote Reciprocal schemes with other social landlords for people fleeing their tenancies due to violence or risk. 
• Building our tenancy support package for those who secure ‘move on’ accommodation to maximise their chances of long-term sustainment of that tenancy

Work with partners to secure positive and sustained outcomes 

Collaboration

• Expand and improve involvement with organisations that are experts in areas such as mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse.
• Launch a new Homelessness Intervention Forum where key organisation can discuss issues and provide assistance for homeless households. 
• Continue to work with foodbanks to ensure vulnerable people can access them and provide further support so they are able to become independent of them.
• Ensure we have more involvement in the County-wide work being undertaken by Surrey County Council in respect of domestic abuse, mental health and substance misuse 

Tailored support

• Those receiving our Personal Housing Plans will receive more tailored advice depending on their challenges, such as drug and alcohol recovery advice, smoking cessation advice, advice of how to register with a GP and a dentist and promote access to training, employment, volunteering and education
• Undertake training sessions for our partners so that there is mutual understanding of what is required for efficient and effective referrals so that we can provide support to homeless households quickly