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Issue - meetings
Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy
Meeting: 04/11/2019 - Cabinet (Item 214)
214 Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy PDF 129 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
1. Cabinet approves the revised Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy 2019 at Appendix 1.
2. Delegated authority is given to the Assistant Director Housing and Built Environment in consultation with the Lead Member to introduce new types of assistance that enable existing and new sources of funding to be targeted at eligible clients.
Minutes:
The Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment submitted a report outlining the Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy. The report presented a revised policy for 2019
The report was presented by the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment.
The Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy sets out the financial tools available to the Council for providing financial assistance to households in Hastings for housing renewal.
The Council is required to have such a policy under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002. This is reviewed each year and due to substantial changes, Cabinet approval is needed. Changes are for the new forms of financial assistance and support for residents. The aim is to help people stay in their accommodation longer and take up new accommodation previously inaccessible. There has historically been an underspend for this fund but with the new flexibility this policy offers it is expected that more people will be able to access the fund.
The policy includes Housing Renewal Loans, Disabled Facilities Grant Funding & the Better Care Fund and Seconded Occupational Therapists.
Housing Renewal Loans are used for improvement works due to the Council having limited resources. This is done in partnership with Parity Trust.
Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) are given to vulnerable clients to enable them to remain in their own home and remain independent. DFGs form part of the wider Better care Fund.
Occupational Therapists are seconded into housing. This is an innovative scheme which sees officers from East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and the East Sussex districts and boroughs have working together.
Councillors commented that a number of their ward residents have benefitted from previous works funded through measures such as DFGs. They also highlighted the fuel poverty issues people are experiencing and how this policy would help with this. They were supportive as they felt that more people would benefit due to the increase in flexibility the new policy offers.
Councillor Batsford proposed approval of the recommendations of the report, seconded by Councillor Evans.
RESOLVED (Unanimously)
1. Cabinet approves the revised Housing Renewal Financial Assistance Policy 2019 at Appendix 1.
2. Delegated authority is given to the Assistant Director Housing and Built Environment in consultation with the Lead Member to introduce new types of assistance that enable existing and new sources of funding to be targeted at eligible clients.
Reasons for the decision
To be able to respond promptly to freedoms provided by the provision of Disabled Facilities Grant funding through the Better Care Fund delegated authority is requested to develop and adopt new types of financial assistance for housing renewal.
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