Our priorities
Homelessness is more than not having a home. The associated underlying issues and complexities can have a detrimental effect that can stay with someone for several years.
Our priorities have been shaped and agreed by recent legislative changes, review of our achievements, outcomes and challenges identified throughout the lifespan of the previous strategy.
Engagement has also taken place with organisations that deliver and/or support the preventing homeless agenda, residents and most importantly customers of the services to gather their views.
Consideration has also been given to the economic crisis, the impact of the Covid – 19 pandemic and lessons learned from service delivery during this unprecedented time.
Priority One: ending rough sleeping
This priority focuses on ending rough sleeping in North Tyneside, with the aim being no-one is bedded down outdoors. Improved intervention to prevent rough sleeping in the first instance is also required.
People living in unsuitable accommodation, sofa surfing or hidden households continue to mask the risk of individuals ending up rough sleeping or intermittently rough sleeping.
The commissioning of dedicated rough sleeping services and their personalised approach to working with current and former rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping has resulted in fewer people rough sleeping in North Tyneside, it does still happen.
To ensure that this downward trend continues, we need to know where people are, why they are falling into rough sleeping, or at risk of rough sleeping, and review and revise our response and any interim accommodation offer to achieve our aim of no rough sleeping in the borough.
Key actions:
- Complete a comprehensive review of our rough sleeping support offer.
- Introduce a new approach to data collection to inform our response to rough sleeping.
- Research and introduce new approaches to prevent rough sleeping.
- Explore options for expanding our night shelter provision.
Priority Two: the accommodation offer
This priority focuses on temporary, supported, and permanent housing.
If there is reason to believe that a homeless applicant may be in priority need, then temporary accommodation will be offered and provided. This will either be a furnished tenancy through our own housing stock, or a bed and breakfast or hotel placement. As accommodation resources are extremely limited in North Tyneside, this provision could be anywhere in the North East region. The reliance on both forms of temporary accommodation has increased and lengths of stay are longer, therefore a review is required to establish how we can improve the service offer.
The demand for social and affordable homes continues to exceed supply. The Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) 2021 confirms that there is an annual need of 477 affordable homes.
Social sector housing remains extremely limited, with around 5,000 applications on the housing register at any time.
Suitable, affordable housing for under 35 year olds continues to be a pressure. The lack of one bedroom properties and the local housing allowance rates applied to private properties restricts housing options for this cohort.
Some vulnerable client groups are at a greater risk of homelessness and/or repeated housing instability, therefore a housing pathway including various options needs to be available to them. Vulnerable groups may include:
- Young people.
- Substance misusers.
- Those with an offending history.
- Survivors of domestic abuse.
- Those with a mental health issue.
- Those with complex needs, including one or more of the above.
In addition to the supported housing schemes for single person households delivered through our two commissioned partnerships, the accommodation pathway has expanded to include somewhere safe to stay bed spaces and self-contained supported housing for current and former rough sleepers.
The somewhere safe to stay beds introduce an immediate offer to help someone off the streets or prevent being on the streets. They provide a safe, supported place for an agreed period until suitable move on accommodation can be sourced.
The self-contained supported properties are available for up to two years and enable someone to develop their life skills and sustain a home in preparation for moving on into their own permanent independent property.
The commissioned partnerships also deliver outreach support to help someone through the first few weeks of their tenancy or provide targeted intervention work to prevent someone from losing their home. This element of the support service will be reviewed to ensure that it is meeting its objectives and fewer people are losing their homes.
When SWEP is activated the accommodation offer is a ‘sit -up service’ delivered through community volunteers. There is no night shelter provision at other times of the year, therefore this will be explored.
The private sector housing market has been increasingly competitive. Engagement with the sector will be strengthened to support both landlords and tenants, through the provision of timely advice to prevent a housing crisis and increase successful housing outcomes.
Key actions:
- Review and improve our temporary accommodation offer
- Review options to further support households to successfully sustain accommodation.
- Review our outreach support offer to ensure we continue to meet our clients’ needs.
- Work with specialist housing commissioners to identify further service needs.
- Continue to improve the private rented offer and work collaboratively with landlords and tenants.
Priority Three: collaborative partnerships
To improve how we tackle homelessness within North Tyneside we recognise the importance of strengthening our existing relationships with partner agencies and all organisations that contribute to early intervention to prevent homelessness within the borough.
We will also continue our regional work with local authority colleagues to collectively support ending rough sleeping, joint funding initiatives and preventing homelessness.
Linked to collaborative partnerships is effective communication and access to information when in need of assistance. Ensuring information is easy to find and accessible to all may help prevent a housing crisis and someone becoming homeless. Services and their offer will be promoted, so it is easy to know who to contact and where to signpost too.
Key actions:
- Continue to strengthen our local and regional partnerships to tackle homelessness.
- Work with our partners to identify further funding opportunities.
- Actively promote homeless related services and signposting to partners.
- Review our serviced information and ensure that it is accessible to all.