Wychavon has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to give councils the tools they need to turn his pledge to end rough sleeping into reality.
Councillor Rick Deller, Wychavon's Executive Board Member for Housing, warned for the Prime Minister to achieve his commitment, preventing homelessness before people reach crisis point must be at the heart of the Government’s plans.
Wychavon's own five-year Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy is based on early intervention, partnership working and tailored support to stop people losing their homes in the first place.
The council is also investing in innovative solutions, including its supported youth homelessness scheme in Evesham, with a second scheme planned for Droitwich Spa, to help vulnerable young people avoid homelessness and build independent lives.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government’s Everyone In scheme, which provided funding, flexibility around accommodation and wraparound support, virtually eliminated rough sleeping across the district. Cllr Deller said this proved what was possible with the right approach.
Ahead of the Government revealing their full plan to end rough sleeping in the autumn, Cllr Deller has now written to the Prime Minister setting out a series of recommendations from Wychavon and asking for the district to be considered for any Government pilot schemes aimed at ending rough sleeping.
The recommendations include:
- Reforming welfare rules that leave people with rent shortfalls.
- Improving access to mental health and addiction support.
- Faster access to supported accommodation.
- Giving councils greater freedom to join up funding instead of bidding into multiple short-term funding pots.
- Multi-year funding for successful prevention schemes so they can become permanent services instead of relying on already stretched council budgets.
Cllr Deller said: “Ending rough sleeping is an ambition everyone can get behind and one we already share through our own Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
"But we can't simply build our way out of this problem. By the time someone is sleeping rough, the system has already failed them.
"We've shown in Wychavon what can be achieved when councils have the freedom to step in early and people get the right support before they reach crisis point. That's why I've written to the Prime Minister asking him to give councils the tools to make prevention the priority and to let Wychavon help shape the national approach."
