bristol city council housing options & advice service introductions housing situation in bristol
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BRISTOL CITY COUNCILHOUSING OPTIONS & ADVICE SERVICE
Introductions
Housing situation in Bristol
Housing Options & Advice Services The Hub Homeless Prevention & Temporary
Accommodation Housing Access Team Single Homelessness and Rough
Sleeping Welfare Rights & Money Advice Service
Housing situation in Bristol
Population of Bristol How many council
properties How many do we
sell each year How many new RSL
properties built each year
Net loss p.a.
Housing situation in Bristol How many people on
the waiting list How many are new
applicants How many homeless
applicants p.a. How many acceptances
p.a. What are most common
reasons for homelessness
Homelessness Prevention and Accommodation Team Team Structure Functions and objectives Reducing B&B use & developing better
alternatives Roles of the team Prevention work Accessing private sector
accommodation
Team Objectives
Bring empty homes back into use Reduce use of B&B & unsuitable temporary
accommodation Prevent homelessness (families and expectant
mothers) Improve access to private sector tenancies Administer the council’s furnished tenancy scheme Administer the Heading Home Forum Develop alternatives to B&B Manage some emergency accommodation
Reducing B&B Use
June 1996 20 households (11families)
March 2001 95 households
March 2002 146 households
Feb. 2003 265 households (55 families)
March 2004 213 households (17 families)
Dec. 2004 105 households ( 6 families)
Reducing B&B - Key issues
Government focus on families:no families or expectant mums in for more than6 weeks – this target is now law. Family sizes Numbers of singles and their needs Lack of suitable temporary and permanent
accommodation for singles Lack of Supporting People funds
Developing Alternatives to B&B
FAMILIES Trinity Lodge & Fortfield Road BCC emergency housing units B&Bs developing self-contained units A new family scheme ? Domestic Abuse Safe Houses (Next
Link) Mother and Baby Homes Increasing access to the private sector
Developing Alternatives to B&B
SINGLES Victoria Street Hostel; Spring House;
Tollhouse Court Pipeline : St Georges House (Young
People) ClearSprings – move on role Role of BHP Development Sub Group
Roles Within the Team
Housing Adviser (Empty Homes)
Temporary Accommodation coordinator
Housing Adviser (Family Deposit Bond)
Housing Adviser (Furnished Tenancies)
Emergency Housing Officer
Heading Home Forum Worker
Preventing Homelessness – Families and Expectant Mothers
Currently a decentralised family homeless service – shortly to change
Central team of 5 Prevention Officers (including CEED Trainee)
Outreach service to 3 Divisional Areas: Easton (Central); Bedminster/Knowle (South); Henbury (North) – not yet operational
Homelessness Prevention (Families)
‘Early intervention in cases of potential
homelessness to enable families to retain
their accommodation, or take another
housing option, that prevents them from
having to present to the local authority as
homeless’
Why Prevention ?
Government lead
More cost effective
Better service to clients – more choice
Diminishing social housing to respond to homelessness
What is Prevention Work?
Mediation between landlord and tenant Resolving tenancy issues – HB problems Mediation in family disputes Advice, including money matters Offering other accommodation options,
especially private sector Prevention Fund used on a ‘spend to save’
basis
Prevention – is it successful ?
500 family cases closed since March 2004
387 (77%) prevented from presenting under the homelessness legislation
127 found private sector housing 51 tenancies saved £200,000+ saved because cases were
not placed in B&B
Accessing Private Sector Accommodation
LANDLORD INCENTIVES Deposit Bond Schemes – Singles and
Families Free Insurance (arrears and damage) Payments of deposit and rent in advance Grants for renovations HB support service
The Hub – Multi-Agency Advice CentreOpened 1995, with the key aims to:
Provide effective holistic responses to the needs of client groups
Provide coordinated services e.g. housing, social services and health
What Was Life Like Then?
Relatively easy to obtain council accommodation
Direct access hostels
No housing benefit restrictions
20 people in B&B
One Homelessness Officer
What’s Life Like Now?
Much less council accommodation available (about 5,000 homes lost)
Priority access to hostels Housing Benefit restrictions Increasing property prices Drug use 100+ single people in B&B Massive increase in B&B expenditure
The Hub Tried to Carry On…
7 Homelessness Officers
Increased referrals to them from the front of house team
Increased stress / sickness amongst staff
Not workable
Independent EvaluationThe Recommendations:
Cannot carry on with the same model
Bring the front of house team into council management
Develop effective monitoring systems
Redefine Shelter’s involvement
The Homelessness Prevention Agenda (ODPM)‘You can’t help everyone’
Verification of homelessness and more home visits
Homelessness Prevention Fund
Reduced use of B&B
Homelessness Prevention Workers are the first point of contact
Single Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Team Commissioning We currently receive £720,000 in ODPM
homelessness grant
We use grant funds to purchase services which will meet Bristol’s 5 ODPM homelessness targets (currently 15 separate services.
We work closely with service providers to alter, improve and monitor services
Bristol’s Homelessness StrategyThe team is responsible for: Bringing together the strategy (published August
2003)
Coordinating the Strategy Action Plan
Working in wide partnership to ensure that project developments meet Strategy priorities
Facilitating a range of Homelessness Consortium meetings and forums
24/7 Homelessness Assessment Centre
The PurposeProvide coordinated multi-agency health,housing and support services, with:
Detailed needs assessments
Client contracts and action plans
Clear routes into appropriate services
Night CentreFlexible
DayServices
24 Short Stay, Intensive Support Hostel Bedspaces
The Model
The Centre Will: Bring together Focus Structure Build on and improve
The services, skills, knowledge and expertise of a wide range of agencies, within a core of flexible day services, a Night Centre and dedicated intensive support hostel bedspaces.
The Centre Won’t Be: A dumping ground
The solution to everyone’s needs
More housing
Another Hub Advice Centre
A replacement for other key services
Housing Options Our Housing Options
pack is on line now for you to use with clients
We do not have enough LA properties for everyone
We need every one to be more realistic about their housing aspirations
There are lots of opportunities to access private rented sector tenancies
Shared housing does work for many clients
Private rented accommodation often available in areas where there is no LA stock