Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director Housing and Social Care Commissioning

Purpose of Report

To set out the Oxfordshire Wide Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 and Action Plan for approval by the Executive, recognising that Cherwell District Council is a key partner in preventing and resolving homelessness and in supporting systems change county wide. In approving the Strategy, Cherwell District Council agrees to play a key role in delivering the vision, priorities and actions identified.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1       To approve Oxfordshire’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 and the supporting Action Plan.

Resolved

(1)          That Oxfordshire’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 and the supporting Action Plan (Annexes to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.

The Assistant Director Housing and Social Care Commissioning submitted a report to set out the Oxfordshire Wide Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 and Action Plan for approval by the Executive, recognising that Cherwell District Council is a key partner in preventing and resolving homelessness and in supporting systems change county wide. In approving the Strategy, Cherwell District Council agrees to play a key role in delivering the vision, priorities and actions identified.

At the discretion of the Chairman, Councillor Woodcock, Leader of the Labour Group addressed the meeting. In response to Councillor Woodcock’s comments regarding funding for the work, the Corporate Director Adults and Housing Services and the Interim Assistant Director Housing and Social Care Commissioning explained that there were various funding streams and the authorities were bidding for funding as well as lobbying the Government for a long term solution.

Resolved

(1)          That Oxfordshire’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021-26 and the supporting Action Plan (Annexes to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.

Reasons

A county wide strategy is important in delivering a coordinated approach and is the result of ongoing partnership working to arrive at a common vision, set of principles and agreed actions for preventing homelessness and ending rough sleeping in the county.

The strategy builds on the learning from the Crisis feasibility study carried out in Oxfordshire in 2019/20 and is being used to inform the recommissioning of homelessness services currently being led by Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council with a pooled budget including Cherwell’s contribution.

Alternative options

Option 1: not to have a county wide strategy. This would not do justice to the collaborative working that exists between the 6 local authorities and wider partners to prevent homelessness and end rough sleeping. It would also limit the outcomes that can be delivered for people affected by homelessness. By working cross-county and across the professional boundaries of housing, health, social care and the voluntary and community sector we can make the greatest impact in terms of tackling homelessness.