'New strategy' for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping as numbers increase year on year

Northampton Borough Council Cabinet members will talk about plans for a new homelessness and rough sleeping strategy for 2020-23 today.

The proposals aim to set out how the council and its 'partners' will 'tackle, prevent and reduce' homelessness in the borough by using four objectives.The proposed strategy includes a target to reduce rough sleeping and hold regular meetings of the Single Homelessness Forum and Family Homelessness Forum.

Figures show that 338 households were recorded as living in temporary accommodation from 2018 to 2019 in Northampton alone - with the increase in homelessness being put down to the ending of tenancies in the private rented sector or members of a household being excluded by their parents or other members of their own family.

While the official snapshot Rough Sleeper Count done by the borough council recorded 28 people on the streets in 2019. But intelligence from other services say the statistic is more like 60.

It comes as last year, the Rector for All Saints Church, Oliver Coss, said at times there had been hostility between local government and charitable organisations in Northampton, which has meant there has been a breakdown in recording homeless people living on the streets.

Councillor Stephen Hibbert, Cabinet member for housing, said: “Tackling and preventing homelessness and rough sleeping is a priority in Northampton and this strategy reflects the importance and commitment of organisations and services working together to address the issue and improve people’s life chances.

“Together with our partners - housing providers, advice and support agencies, day centres, faith and community groups, statutory services and voluntary sector organisations – we want to reaffirm our commitment to doing everything we can to reduce homelessness and avoid the need for people to sleep rough on the streets of Northampton.

"We believe this new strategy will help us achieve this.”

The new strategy takes into account the new legislation and guidance, the findings of the review of homelessness in Northampton undertaken during autumn 2019, the results and analysis of the public consultation carried out in February and March 2020.

Cabinet will discuss the proposals at its first virtual meeting on Wednesday 20 May at 6pm and the live meeting will be streamed directly to YouTube here.