Issue - meetings

The Board received a report that set the full findings of the review conducted of the first year of the Homelessness Strategy. The report also set out how issues identified as part of this would be addressed during the forthcoming year.

The Board was reminded that an initial report had been received at the previous meeting where further information with respect to several areas had been requested. The report now set out the proposed structure for the delivery groups and the key points raised at the at the recent consultation event on 14 September.

In response to a query the Board was advised that funding had now been secured for the Rent Deposit Scheme. Although details of this were still to be finalised and it had been agreed that the scheme would be run by a Voluntary Sector group that would be based with the Housing Service at Apex House. This would be up and running by the New Year.

The Chair noted that key actions around addressing the needs of children with affected by the issues set out below were showing as ‘not achieved’:

• Special needs
• Complex medical conditions
• Child Protection Plans
• Children who acted as carers
• Children in Care placed outside the Borough
• Children in a family that Domestic Violence had been suffered
• Children from families where parents had been found intentionally homeless

Officers advised that the Children and Young People’s Delivery Group, which would lead on these areas, had now been established. This group would have its first meeting in January and any outstanding actions would be addressed then. There was agreement that officers from the Housing Service should liaise with Children’s Services to ensure that these issues were being addressed and to determine whether any additional support was required.

In response to a query the Board was advised that the information set out in the Action Plan was broken down and analysed in more detail with individual Delivery Group’s Work Plans.

The Board discussed the merits of using ‘Mystery Shoppers’ and there was agreement that Homes for Haringey should liaise with local Housing Associations to see how tenants might be trained to take on this role.   

Chair noted that there would be further discussion outside the meeting to take resolve the issues raised by the Board.

RESOLVED:

That the outcome of the review and the proposed structure of the Delivery Groups be noted.