East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013 Action Plan

East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
1. Maximise Options and Choice
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – October 2010
1.0
Implement the Kent Reconnection
Policy
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
Local Authorities
Provider
Agencies
Policy has been implemented. The SP
Team collates monthly data from
providers of short-term accommodation
based services. Data presented to the
SP Commissioning Body on a 6
monthly basis. Policy is due to be
reviewed by March 2011.
1.1
Support vulnerable households to
bid through Kent Homechoice
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
Local Authorities
and Support
Provider
Agencies
LAs continuing to provide support.
Action needs to be defined and an
appropriate and meaningful
performance measure determined
1.2
Implement effective solutions to
reduce overcrowding in East Kent
December
2010
Additional
resources being
sought from CLG
Local Authorities
Potential project has been included in
East Kent Local Investment Plan
1.3
Implement the Multi Agency Protocol
for the Resettlement and Housing of
Offenders (previously known as the
Ex-offender protocol)
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
Local Authorities
and other
agencies
Offender protocol reviewed and
available on JPPB web site
1.4
Continue partnerships with local
housing advice agencies to
maximise options available to clients
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
Local Authorities
Arrangements are in place and there is
a commitment to continue partnerships
subject to funding being available.
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East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
1.5
Explore the options for introducing
an East Kent wide set of Housing
Options information leaflets
April 2011
Existing
Resources
Local Authorities
Information leaflets for young people
have now been designed by JPPB sub
group in conjunction with young people
and previewed at the YPHP launch on
12 th October. These leaflets will be
distributed Kent wide and will be
available to download from the JPPB
website. Information leaflets for
Offenders are now in progress and are
presently being written and designed
by JPPB Offender sub group, with help
from prisoners and offenders.
2. Prevent Rough Sleeping
2.0
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
Continue to quantify levels of rough
sleeping within East Kent
Annually
Existing
Resources
Local
Authorities
Porchlight
Street count taking place on 21 October
2010
2.1
Continue to support the Kent Wide
Rough Sleeper outreach Service
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
All partner
agencies
The service has been split between
Rough Sleeper service and outreach.
Service managed by Porchlight.
Referrals for the outreach service come
via the SP team.
Strategic Review of Outreach is
underway by Supporting People.
Outcome of the review expected by
November 2010.
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East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
3. Promote a Sustainable Private Rented Sector
3.0
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
Arrange joint training for private
sector housing & housing options
staff on private sector housing issues
and areas for sharing good practice
March 2011
Existing Resources Local
Authorities
LAs to look at how private sector housing
and housing needs teams can work most
effectively together. Dover, Canterbury &
Thanet services are subject to shared
service review.
3.1
Promote private rented sector as a
viable long-term housing solution to
applicants
March 2013
Existing Resources Local
Authorities
HALs scheme introduced. Training may
help identify good practice & potential new
initiatives. HALs up and running but level
of procurement appears to be quite low
across all districts. Avenues considering
further marketing initiatives and also
bidding for temporary social housing grant
to help deliver more units
3.2
Continue to provide rental deposits
and bonds to enable applicants to
access private rented
accommodation
Ongoing
Existing Resources Local
Authorities
Details of LA eligibility criteria have been
collated and circulated.
LAs committed to maintaining schemes.
However, the future of this scheme hinges
on the continuation of homelessness
funding in the forthcoming Comprehensive
Spending Review.
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East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
4. Help Homeless Households to secure and retain good quality accommodation
4.0
4.1
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
Implement effective mediation
services across East Kent
Respond to the need identified
through the Supporting People
Needs Assessment
Dec 2010
March 2013
Existing
Resources
Existing
Resources
Where
appropriate
additional
resources
through SP
Growth Bid
Process
Local
Authorities
Local
Authorities
Kent Supporting
People Team
LAs exploring potential for joint
commissioning
CCC pays for mediation service for 16
to 18 year olds and their families
Dover DC: 10 supported housing units
for young homeless people opened in
August. Possible provision of a further 8
unit scheme being explored.
Shepway DC: Suitable SDC owned
property identified for conversion to a
supported housing project for young
people. Work underway to obtain HCA
funding to cover the capital costs. The
Kent SP Team have indicated their
support for the scheme in principle.
Thanet DC: Previous proposal of
looking at developing YP scheme at
Marlow Academy in Ramsgate, has
since been superseded by developing
Old Schools Lodge homeless hostel,
with funding available for 8 units.
Canterbury CC: CCC has included
within the East Kent Local Improvement
Plan bids to provide emergency
accommodation for young single
people: move-on accommodation for
young single people: improved
provision of temporary accommodation:
the re-modelling of Craddock House (an
existing Porchlight scheme).
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East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
5. Reduce the use of Temporary Accommodation
5.0
5.1
5.2
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
Porchlight to complete study to
investigate the outcomes of single
Existing
April 2011
people leaving temporary
Resources
Porchlight
accommodation in East Kent
Continue to minimise the use of Bed
and Breakfast Accommodation and
use only in emergency
circumstances
Implement the County-wide
Emergency Accommodation Protocol
to reduce concentrations of
vulnerable households in temporary
accommodation and improve
services to them.
Ongoing
March 2011
Existing
Resources
Existing
Resources
Local
Authorities
Local
Authorities
Porchlight to seek clarification from the
forum as to what data they would like
analysed.
Continuing LA commitment.
Need to define what would be a
meaningful and useful performance
measure.
Emergency Accommodation protocol
was singed off by JPPB, KHG and was
presented to CE and Leaders. This has
now been distributed Kent wide.
6. Tackle Youth Homelessness
6.0
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
Provide housing advice/information
sessions in schools to raise
awareness of housing issues
amongst young people in East Kent.
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March 2011
Existing
Resources –
Homeless
Grant
Porchlight
Page 5 of 7
Youth Homeless Education programme
now been in place for 6 months.
Programme has been a great success.
Visited a total of 12 schools across
Kent. Workshops and assemblies have
been arranged in a further 40 schools.
The summer holiday period was used to
develop the Youth Homeless Education
Programme Resource Pack. 2-3 copies
of the resource pack will be left with
each school visited as
an on-going resource.

East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
6.1
Develop accommodation based
support services for young people in
Dover and Shepway
December
2011
SP Funding
Revenue
Funding for
support
services
Homes &
Communities
Agencies
Funding for
capital costs
Dover and
Shepway
councils
Dover: see 4.1
Shepway: see 4.1
7. Monitor Performance and Develop Best practice in Homelessness
Action Timescale Resources Lead Progress – July 2010
7.0 Monitor the delivery of this strategy
Existing All partner
and report progress to the EKHF, Ongoing
Resources agencies
Members and other local forums
7.1 Evaluate the impact of the EKHF,
reviewing membership and terms of
reference
7.2 Standardise customer satisfaction
surveys across all local authority
services.
7.3
7.4
Complete Equality Impact
assessment on all new policies and
initiatives
Report emerging homelessness
trends to the EKHF
April 2010
March 2011
Ongoing
Quarterly
Existing
Resources
Existing
Resources
Existing
Resources
Existing
Resources
All partner
agencies
Local
Authorities
Local
Authorities
All agencies
Progress against actions to be reported
to quarterly Forum meetings
Completed April 2010
Standard survey forms prepared. Forum
approval to be sought on 20 th Oct 2010.
The Strategy was subject to an EIA and
any further policies/initiatives will be
impact assessed
CCC has a system of Customer Impact
Assessment, which is being used on the
review of the Allocations Policy.
This will form part of the Forum’s role in
considering performance monitoring
reports. No further progress on
reporting format
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East Kent Homelessness Strategy 2010-2013
Action Plan
7.5
Develop comprehensive
benchmarking programme to
compare service provision, VFM and
effectiveness of services with other
homelessness service providers
Ongoing
Existing
Resources
Local
Authorities
LAs to look at using Housemark PIs and
performance measures as basis for
developing quarterly performance
monitoring reports. Dover DC currently
involved in a HQN vfm benchmarking
scheme and willing to share outcomes
when known.
CCC provides information for P1E form,
national PIs and Kent Housing Group
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