A report to the council’s Housing Scrutiny Committee, outlining the extent of homelessness in Cambridge and the council’s strategy for addressing it, reveals the increased figure compared to 470 households helped in 2014-15.
Measures taken which have helped the council prevent or relieve homelessness include improving the time it takes to make decisions, introducing direct lets to homeless people, minimising the use of temporary accommodation and improving the range of housing options for single people.
Partner agencies Centre 33, Jimmy’s Cambridge, Change, Grow, Live (CGL) and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau have all supported the council with its efforts in this area.
Despite this, the report also shows that homelessness is continuing to increase in Cambridge and forms part of a national trend. The number of cases where the council accepted a full homelessness duty has risen from 146 in 2014-15 to 172 in 2015-16 with applications also at an all-time high of 419.
Rough sleeping has also increased with 135 individuals found sleeping rough in the city in 2014-15, rising to 152 in 2015-16.
During 2015-16, the council made significant improvements in the length of time it takes to determine whether it owes a homeless household a full homelessness duty (a duty to provide housing in response to homelessness as outlined in the 1996 Housing Act). The average time the council took to make a decision has reduced from 42 working days in 2013-14 and 45 in 2014-15 to just 26 in 2015-16.
The report also outlines the council’s eight-point action plan to continue tackling homelessness, identifying the following key areas for work in the next three years:
- Achieving better housing for survivors of domestic abuse;
- Increasing access to the private rented sector for people in housing need;
- Reducing the number of people rough sleeping in the city;
- Improving support for people with mental health issues;
- Introducing new measures to help prevent homelessness;
- Minimising use of temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast provision;
- Mitigating impact of welfare reform;
- Bringing long-term empty homes back into use.
Commenting on the report, Cllr Kevin Price, Executive Councillor for Housing, said: “These figures must be set against a national picture of rising homelessness and rough sleeping and intense pressure on the services councils offer to help those in need at a time of crisis. The substantial increase in the number of households we have helped either avoid or end homelessness is a credit to the dedicated work from our frontline officers and the commitment of the council to intervene as quickly as possible where it can.
“Last year we set out to review key aspects of our housing advice service and these results demonstrate that this work is now bearing fruit. I am particularly heartened by the reduction in the time taken to make a decision on homeless applications.
“Rough sleeping is often the most visible form of homelessness for most residents but can result from a complex and often difficult to address range of factors. This is a disturbing development and it is, therefore, more important than ever that we continue to work hard to tackle homelessness and its root causes in the city.”
Cllr Price is recommended to approve the action plan at the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Committee on 21 June.
Read the full report on homelessness
_____________________________________