Agenda item

Report of the Director of Adults, Health and Communities.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning.

Request for approval to publish Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-2027.

Appendices are attached in a separate pack.

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning introduced the report which sought approval of the Rough Sleeping Strategy.

In response to questions from Councillor da Costa it was noted:

-              Majority of people rough sleeping in the borough had unclear immigration status, with no recourse to public funds.  It was believed that this had been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, with many working cash in hand and living in unsecure accommodation.

-              Officers were carrying out a lot of work around the ‘hidden homeless’ and this covered LGBTQ+ people, woman and other minorities.  The strategy made   reference to this work.

RESOLVED to

1.            Approve the Rough Sleeping Strategy attached at Appendix 1.

2.            Note the significant resident and stakeholder co-production undertaken throughout 2021 and 2022. Specifically, to note that the commitments and activities within the strategy were co-produced by residents with lived experience of homelessness, council staff and partners using a participatory democracy approach, which included a public legislative theatre event in January 2022, facilitated with support from Arts and Homelessness International.

3.            Note the public consultation and amendments made to the draft strategy following Cabinet Member Signing

4.            Note the following:

·         We will commit to developing a delivery plan to sit underneath the Strategy which will set out how we will work with partners to deliver on the commitments, and that this will specifically include how we will work with partners in mental health and probation to prevent rough sleeping

·         We will ensure that the delivery plan includes a robust communication strategy and will also set out how the aims articulated in the Strategy will be scrutinised over its lifetime

·         We will update the graphics shown in the Strategy prior to publishing to ensure they represent the diversity of the borough

·         We will ensure that an accessible version of the Strategy is made available prior to publishing following approval of content at Cabinet

Reasons for decision

Rough sleeping is one of the most harmful and visible consequences of an unequal society. People affected by it are disproportionately victims of abuse and exploitation, more likely to die prematurely and less likely to secure their legal rights and fair access to health services. In 21-22, 268 people slept rough on the streets of Haringey; the cost-of-living crisis, ongoing impact of Covid-19 and a challenging national policy environment means this figure is likely to increase in the coming years.

Haringey’s current Rough Sleeping Strategy was written in 2018. A new strategy is required to reflect the significant reduction in rough sleeping achieved in the previous strategy period, and to restate our ambition to end rough sleeping and articulate the commitments and activities needed to do this. 

The Rough Sleeping Strategy is not a statutory requirement and therefore a statutory consultation is not required. However, the Council is committed to enabling all residents to actively participate in strategy development, as such, a comprehensive consultation took place to seek the views of those who had been involved in the development of the strategy.

Alternative options considered

Not to develop a new Rough Sleeping Strategy. This was rejected because, although developing a Rough Sleeping Strategy is not a statutory requirement, it is an important mechanism for securing shared understanding and borough-wide commitment to tackling this crucial issue.