Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

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Homelessness
7.69 Rising levels of homelessness and the associated use of temporary accommodation is a feature
across the East of England. Local housing authorities have all produced homelessness strategies,
with the emphasis on prevention. Many local housing authorities have changed their teams to
focus on ‘housing options‘ and advice.
7.70 ’Supporting People’ funded tenancy support and floating support have a vital role in early
interventions to support vulnerable tenants and reduce risk of tenancy breakdowns. SP funding
also supports accommodation services for single homeless people, many of whom have complex
needs, in direct access hostels.
7.71 ‘Homelessness‘ is often the end result of other problems, financial, health or social. It is important
that these other problems are tackled if homelessness is not to be repeated.
7.72 It is here that the RHS can be effective in linking up with other regional strategies and initiatives
to tackle the range of needs. The Regional Health Strategy is an obvious link, but others are the
Regional Social Strategy, the Regional Rehabilitation and Resettlement Strategy, the Regional
network of Drug Action Teams, the National Asylum Support Service Accommodation Strategy, the
Regional initiative on Domestic Violence through the Supporting People regional group (SPERG).
7.73 The East of England Strategy for the Rehabilitation of Offenders contains ‘pathways to
accommodation‘ for which an action plan is being developed. The accommodation pathway is
vital to the Rehabilitation Strategy as accommodation is crucial to sustaining work and family life.
There will be major gains for crime reduction and community safety if offenders can be
successfully resettled. An element of this work may be to pilot a needs assessment tool.
7.74 An emerging issue is the housing and homeless problems experienced by younger people,
particularly the 16–17 year old age group. Such groups benefit from mediation schemes to
reconcile young people with their families.
7.75 Local authority and housing association lettings policies need to balance the needs of homeless
households with others in housing need. For some authorities ‘homelessness‘ is the main route
into social housing. This imbalance particularly disadvantages single, homeless people.
7.76 RHDG will review the knowledge from the Region’s homelessness strategies for good
practice and research the incidence of youth homelessness through its membership.
7.77 RHDG will review the links with other strategies to ensure that action on homelessness
and its causes are co-ordinated at the regional level.
7.78 In particular, RHDG will build on its existing links with the East of England Strategy for
the Rehabilitation of Offenders to co-ordinate the accommodation pathway action plan,
and consider piloting the needs assessment tool through its membership.
7.79 RHDG will review SP Strategies as they are published and ascertain the implications from
any changes to floating support.