Cabinet approves strategy to reduce and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping in Kirklees over the next five years
Councils across the country are facing challenges of an increasing level of homelessness and demand for accommodation with fewer housing options available.
On Tuesday 10 September Cabinet members approved the Kirklees Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy that sets out key priorities for the next five years to help tackle rough sleeping and homelessness within the district and comment on the council’s temporary accommodation placement policy.
How will we do this?
The strategy will bring Kirklees’s cross-sector response to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping within the district up to date, so that the council and its partners can focus efforts where they are needed most.
Informed and developed by local data and intelligence, the strategy sets out the key homelessness challenges in Kirklees including significant increases in the number of households in need of temporary accommodation at a time of on-going budget pressures.
The temporary accommodation policy that accompanied the strategy at cabinet – which was also approved – sets out how those households who are eligible for temporary accommodation will be prioritised for placements, both inside and outside of the district and to ensure that the housing service, when making placements, takes into account household support needs and any potential safety reasons.
Now this item has been approved, we will address homelessness and rough sleeping by; strengthening links to partnership working to help secure the right type of accommodation for those that need it. It aims to provide rapid early help and intervention to prevent homelessness from occurring, to give those that need support access to long term, settled homes and temporary accommodation where applicable, that is safe, accessible and affordable and finally it aims to tackle rough sleeping, to ensure that it is rare, brief, and not recurring.
Councillor Moses Crook, Deputy Leader of the Council and cabinet member for transport and housing said:
‘’Through the implementation of the proposed Kirklees Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, we hope to increase effective prevention of homelessness and reduce rough sleeping which has unfortunately seen increasing numbers within Kirklees recently, despite the efforts of our rough sleeping team and partners.
We continue to work to ensure that all our residents have access to high quality, joined-up services and the right support to enable them to access suitable housing that meets their needs. This is why it was crucial that this new strategy received approval from cabinet to enable our teams and partners to work together to bring the strategy to life, to ensure that those most in need are able to access the right help, in the right place, at the right time.”
Tasha Dyson, Chief Executive Officer at Fusion Housing said:
“The Kirklees Homelessness and Rough Sleeping strategy was developed in partnership with Kirklees Homelessness Forum members who represent a wide range of Organisations that help and support households across the district facing homelessness on a daily basis. The Strategy presents an opportunity for everyone to work together to reduce the impact that homelessness and rough sleeping have on lives of individuals, their dependents and wider community groups. I am pleased that the Forum members will continue to have a part to play in helping shape, deliver and monitor the strategy objectives going forward.”
To read the strategy visit: Kirklees Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy