New council model to tackle homelessness – voluntary sector asked to change ‘traditional approach that may enable individuals remaining on street’

Wrexham Council is to adopt a new a new system to help rough sleepers and those facing homelessness in the county borough throughout the remainder of the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

The start of the pandemic in March 2020 and the introduction of the nationwide lockdown saw much of the homeless provision in the area close to service users due to the risk of covid-19.

In response to similar impacts around Wales and the pandemic health threat itself the Welsh Government requested that local authorities help rough sleepers from the streets and rehouse in temporary accommodation. Locally that largely took place until the end of October at disused accommodation at the Plas Coch end of the Wrexham Glyndwr University campus.

Provision was also provided out of county, in bed and breakfasts, in council temporary accommodation and in a council run local lettings agency managed properties.

These alternative arrangements were designed to prevent interaction of rough sleepers and therefore help reduce any spread of the virus.

However the pandemic has had a significant impact on homelessness in the area, with the number of people in temporary accommodation locally increasing from 100 households in March to to 273 households on 26th June 2020.

It is anticipated that there will be additional pressures on homeless services due to the economic impact, rising unemployment, changes to eviction process and mental health problems being caused by the pandemic.

As a result Wrexham Council is set to change the way it provides homeless services, with details of a new “triage system” provided in a report due before members of the council’s Homes and Environment Scrutiny meeting on Thursday.

It comes after the local authority secured just under £3 million to purchase properties and redevelop the existing Tŷ Nos site on Holt Road. The funding includes:

• £2.3 million capital funding (from an available national budget of £10m) towards the redevelopment of the Tŷ Nos site
• £500,000 capital funding to assist the council’s Local Lettings Agency to purchase properties for single persons.
• £200,000 revenue funding, for staffing up until March 2021 – with a note that following this, the funding will need to be provided through repurposing Social Housing Grant.

As part of the Tŷ Nos redevelopment, the facility will be replaced with what the council described as a: “Fit for purpose triage hub, including self-contained accommodation, which will facilitate the rehousing of homeless individuals and enable them to receive appropriate support to sustain a tenancy and move into secure accommodation.”

This will include provision for meeting rooms and interview rooms to “ensure that services can be brought to the location.”

Earlier this month Wrexham Council announced that it has purchased an old bed and breakfast guest house – situated on the corner of Chester Road and Penymaes Avenue – to be used to provide homeless services while work at Tŷ Nos takes place.

At the end of a 12 month period it will either be sold off, or a full planning application submitted to sustain the arrangement.

The report states that it is also “intended to increase accommodation available via the various means which are at the disposal of the Council, including building and acquiring property and increasing the availability of affordable private rented accommodation through utilising the Local lettings Agency.”

It adds: “The council cannot revert to the previous position of providing floor space, food and drink.”

The council will also be asking third party providers to move to a new way of working, “Providers of support and assistance for homeless persons will need to amend their service delivery models to provide support to persons in temporary accommodation and to ensure that no one needs to sleep rough.”

“We will not engage with the voluntary sector whose traditional approach to homeless provision may enable and contribute to individuals remaining on the street.”

“The current model of supported accommodation has been successful over a period of six months and the aim is to replicate this model, as the previous provision may have enabled rough sleeping.”

“Going forward, the council will request that providers change the provision to suit the requirements to provide personalised, wrap around support for individuals. Support will be required to be bespoke to the person and intensive where required to break the potential for the homelessness to become a cycle and reoccur.”

“Repeat homelessness is very costly and resource intensive and we cannot continue to fund the support services and resources, which will pay for this.”

“Taking the benefits to vulnerable individuals aside, the cost benefits of breaking this cycle are significant.”

The report contains further stats on the homeless issue locally, reporting that on the night of the rough sleeper count in Wrexham, which took place between 10pm on Thursday 7th and 5am on Friday 8th November 2019, 21 people in Wrexham were 3 observed sleeping rough – with it noted that was a reduction in number of people sleeping rough compared to the previous year.

From 23rd March 2020, when the national lockdown began, to 30th September 2020 there have been 505 homeless presentations in Wrexham, with advice and assistance being provided to an additional 64 households. As we reported on Friday, the 505 homeless presentations include 103 people released from prison.

One mini case study is also included in the report for councillors to consider, “An example of the positive work undertaken at Wrexham Glyndwr University is an individual who presented as homeless during the initial restrictions due to Covid-19. They were placed in the accommodation and subsequently moved into other temporary accommodation. With support and the work of the Council’s Local Lettings Agency, they have secured a tenancy in the private sector. In addition by utilising mentor support the individual has a part time job after being unemployed for many years. This is a good example of how ongoing, person centred wrap-around support can work.”

The report will be debated by members of the council’s homes and environment scrutiny committee on Thursday 2 December at 2:30pm. The virtual meeting is expected to be broadcast live on the Wrexham Council website.