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Issue - meetings
Reducing Rough Sleeping
Meeting: 01/03/2021 - Cabinet (Item 323)
323 Reducing Rough Sleeping PDF 293 KB
(Andrew Palmer, Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment)
(Cabinet Decision)
Decision:
1. To grant an exemption under rule 21c of the council’s financial operating procedures to commission services for the Rough Sleeping Initiative in 2021/22
Minutes:
The Assistant Director for Housing and Built Environment presented a report to update on progress to reduce rough sleeping over the past year and the plans to continue this work from April 2021.
A grant exemption is requested from cabinet to commission services for the initiative as of 1st April, as due to the short-term nature of the funding, it is not possible to follow the normal procurement procedure.
The reports also outlines the plans for the next 12 months under the Rough Sleepers Initiative. Hastings Borough Council is the lead authority for this work in East Sussex and has been working closely with partner organisations in developing the plans.
The Strategic Housing and Projects Manager added that this work builds on the council’s long standing commitment to end rough sleeping and in particular, looks at the services which will be in place as the Everyone In instruction comes to an end. The Next Steps Accommodation Programme, which was the capital fund that the council secured at the end of last year, addresses the gap in provision for accommodation for individuals who require high levels of ongoing support. Ways to increase the number of Housing First units available for former rough sleepers are being looked into. Clearly the short deadline for the project and the ongoing lockdown restrictions which were introduced after the grant was secured has had an impact on the properties that were available for purchase; an issue which has affected a number of local authorities around the country. The council is working with Homes England to discuss a potential extension to the scheme, which will also be the first phase of a broader programme due to be launched next year. Work is already underway with partners to develop proposals for further bids to the programme.
Councillor Batsford proposed approval of the recommendation, seconded by Councillor O’Callaghan.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
To grant an exemption under rule 21c of the council’s financial operating procedures to commission services for the Rough Sleeping Initiative in 2021/22
Reason:
The council is leading work with partners across East Sussex to reduce rough sleeping. A proposal is currently being developed to continue these services beyond March 2021, which will need to be mobilised at pace to avoid any gaps in provision.
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