Agenda item - Chairs Communications

          New Homes at Robert Lodge North and Pierre Close, Portslade

50.1   The Chair stated that she had enjoyed officially opening the 9 newly completed council flats at Robert Lodge North on 12 December. The flats were built to a very high quality and finish with fabulous views from their balconies, and the tenants she had met were thrilled with their new home.

50.2   The Chair was pleased to see the many improvements that the new development had brought for existing Robert Lodge residents, and hear such positive feedback from the resident association on their involvement.

50.3   The Chair was looking forward to meeting tenants of the four new council houses at Pierre Close, Portslade that were also completed in December, under the New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme.

          HRA Borrowing Cap

50.4   The Chair stated that the Council were disappointed in the response regarding lifting the HRA borrowing cap and its potential impact on delivering affordable homes for rent under the Council’s successful New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme.

50.5   This was likely to have an adverse impact on the Council’s ability to respond to the needs of a growing more diverse population and the Council’s capacity to maintain mixed and balanced communities and retention of lower income working households and employment in the city. 

50.6   However the Council would continue to press the case for lifting the cap through devolution negotiations with government and the Council would continue to focus on the work it was doing to address the key priority of increasing the numbers of and make best use of affordable homes. This work included:

• The 'New Homes for Neighbourhoods' estate regeneration programme to deliver new affordable homes in the city. More than 20 projects that would deliver nearly 300 homes, were in progress; 34 homes had already been completed and more than 130 were currently being built;
• Improving supply through best use of existing HRA assets including conversions / hidden homes programme. 8 projects delivering 27 new homes;
• A Living Wage joint venture with Hyde Housing to deliver 1,000 new lower cost homes for rental and sale;
• Bringing long-term empty private sector homes back into use through the Empty Property Strategy – over 150 long term empty private sector homes were being returned to use every year, some of which were leased as temporary accommodation;
• Enabling delivery of new affordable homes in partnership with Registered Provider partners and the Homes & Communities Agency.

Successful Bids for Government Funds – New Ways of Working to Prevent Homelessness and Rough Sleeping

50.7   The Chair was pleased to advise that Brighton & Hove City Council been successful in bids for government funds to introduce new ways of working to preventhomelessness and rough sleeping.

50.8   Brighton & Hove was a city with an acute housing crisis, and homelessness was an increasing pressure and the Council had been rewarded by its innovative approach to homelessness prevention and work to reduce rough sleeping with a funding boost of over £2.5 million to the city.

50.9   It was a reflection of the good reputation the Council had for innovative approaches in this area that it was able to draw the money to the city.

50.10  The vision was to work with partners across housing, social care, health, probation, and education as well as the voluntary sector to make sure all residents of the city had access to a ‘Housing Action Plan’, to timely advice and information, and the earliest possible interventions to prevent small issues becoming bigger problems and housing crises.

50.11  Through increasing intervention work, the aim was to reduce statutory and non-statutory homelessness and use of temporary accommodation. Setting up a plan for each household would avoid duplication and help services in the city become more efficient, and residents would have their expectations and goals clearly identified early on.

50.12  A main thrust of this work was to identify the early triggers that can result in people becoming homeless and to work with them to build resilience and enable them to plan for any changes that would otherwise tip them into homelessness.

50.13  The funding included:

• £1.3 million for homelessness prevention trailblazer work
• £350,000 for new a post to support rough sleepers with substance misuse and mental health needs, and a worker to help people new to the streets or experiencing hidden forms of homelessness to get the emergency accommodation and support they need
• £1 million to work in partnership with neighbouring councils on a project to help long-term entrenched and revolving door rough sleepers to move them into sustainable accommodation and co-ordinate their engagement in substance misuse, mental health services and work and learning   

50.14  The Chair reported that this winter, the council was working with local homelessness charities on a ‘Make change count’ campaign to raise awareness of how to help people living rough on the streets. To donate to the local homeless charities behind the campaign, please go to www.localgiving.com/appeal/makechangecount.

Progress with Brook Mead                                     

50.15  The Chair reported that in addition to the trail blazing work to prevent homelessness through earlier intervention; she was also pleased to update the Committee on the significant progress on site with Brook Mead; the Council’s flagship scheme to provide much needed extra care accommodation in the city. As one of the few councils to deliver an extra care scheme despite reductions in funding, the scheme should be ready for occupation in the summer/autumn 2017 and there would be opportunities for staff and potential residents to view the show flat at a launch and open days in February.

          Your Rent Matters Campaign

50.16  Finally, the Chair updated the Committee on the Your Rent Matters campaign to raise awareness on the impacts of welfare reform; which the Committee were advised of at the last Housing & New Homes committee. She was pleased to confirm that all 7,517 working age tenants were contacted; with 677 households spoken to directly resulting in 300 assessments and 214 referrals for support carried out.