Housing, Homelessness and Benefits Strategy - Basingstoke and ...

Return to ContentsThe key themes within the Council’s preventative approach areset out below:Theme Rationale ActionsProgress on PreventionIt is essential to offer a rangeof options to avoid potentiallyhomeless people losing theirhomes.• Focussing on early intervention and delivering pre-tenancy training• Providing specialist in –depth advice. The housing advice teamwas reorganised from January 2007 to deliver a generic, outcomefocussedservice• Arranging mediation to prevent family relations breaking down.• Delivering a housing duty officer service to deliver first hand adviceon a drop-in basis• Coordinating all floating housing support provision in the borough toensure it is focussed on homelessness prevention• Ensuring the availability of advice information and leaflets onhomelessness prevention• Earmarking funding for “spend to save” initiativesReducing Numbersin TemporaryAccommodationThe Government has setlocal authorities a challengingtarget to halve the numberof households living intemporary accommodation• Developing alternatives within the private rented sector (see below)• Reconfiguring temporary accommodation to provide more suitableand sustainable alternatives• Placing increased emphasis on homelessness prevention(see above)• Undertaking supply / demand analyses to ensure sufficient numbersof accepted homeless households are housed through the housingregisterActions to PreventDomestic ViolenceDomestic Violence is a directand unacceptable cause ofhomelessness• Appointing a dedicated DV Coordinator within the borough• Developing and implementing a local Domestic Violence strategy• Developing and implementing a Domestic Violence HousingProtocol for RSL’s within the borough• Reconfiguring the local Domestic Violence Forum to ensure targetedand coordinated delivery of strategic objectives• Delivery key Domestic Violence awareness and training events• Initiating a Sanctuary serviceDeveloping Sustainableoptions within theprivate rented sectorAffordable and sustainablealternatives must be availableto support people to makeinformed choices and avoidbecoming homeless• Implementing a Rent Bond Scheme (to replace the old Rent Depositscheme). A total of 239 households have been assisted since thescheme commenced; approximately 11 households each month• Assessing and meeting housing support and resettlement needs ofhouseholds assisted, to ensure placements are sustainable• Fostering closer links with landlords and delivering landlord training/ information forums• Expanding the Private Sector Leasing scheme with DownlandHousing Association40