Council outlines plans for tackling homelessness
A council has launched a new strategy for tackling homelessness which includes putting expert domestic violence workers into housing advice centres.
Birmingham Council has launched the 2012+ homelessness strategy after completing a review of homelessness in the city.
The authority said that the new proposals not only deal with council services but also those provided by other organisations that work with people who are homeless.
The strategy will focus on preventing homelessness and enabling those without a home to secure settled accommodation.
The new strategy will also focus on:
- Better manage the use of temporary accommodation – sustaining the major reduction in the use of bed and breakfast that has already been achieved.
- Making use of suitable quality accommodation in the private rented sector to meet housing need.
- Further improve housing advice services following the introduction of four dedicated housing advice centres: each serving a different area of the city.
- Placing specialist domestic violence workers in each of our housing advice centres – this recognises that this issue is a major cause of homelessness in the city. These workers are from an expert voluntary sector organisation.
The strategy will be reported to full council in April.
John Lines, member for housing at Birmingham Council, said: ‘We are working against a backdrop of growing unemployment, a troubling economic climate and family fragmentation. And although Birmingham is bucking the trend by building new council homes, we’ve still seen a reduction in the amount of new private housing being built.
‘Prevention is better than cure, and our plans will help to prevent homelessness in the city. The review of our last strategy demonstrates the hard work that has been done. I applaud all of our partners who have helped to prevent homelessness across the city.’
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Readers' comments (2)
F451 | 27/01/2012 2:13 pm
Good inititiatives.
Hopefully the government will support these by removing the financial causes of homelessness, such as unemployment, low pay, and high rents. Surely Birmingham needs to lobby for this as part of their prevention is better than cure approach.
Meanwhile, I hope that their DV advice can be promoted to Men too. Other such services do turn a blind eye to the extent of male vicitms of domestic violence who end up without any housing because their spouse is favoured by agencies and the law, even when they are the abuser, and of course those within same sex relationships suffering abuse, and even elder abuse. Services for men can have a crucial impact in preventing homelessness.
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oilyboots | 30/01/2012 8:06 pm
You know what nothing but nothing is news here! Ever since Homelessness Act 2002 councils are supposed to have been doing this stuff. Their 5 year homelessness prevention strategies were supposed to address all of these issues and not run "housing options" and call it "prevention" but actually often be "gate-keeping"!
Yes in 2012 different times, context, resources and ideology from central government BUT simply read innumerable Judicial Reviews and/or ombudsman (often sadly involving Birmingham) to know what is real.
How can this be news to anyone? Sorry - the cynic escapes!
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