Issue - meetings

Resolved: the committee noted the update and agreed to make the officer presentation on homelessness and the Homelessness Reduction Act available online.

Lee Georgiou (Housing Needs and Refugee Services Manager) and Simone van Elk (Programme manager, Homelessness Trailblazer) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

5.1       The committee was given a presentation on homelessness pressures in Lewisham and the changes brought in by the Homelessness Reduction Act.

5.2       The Homelessness Reduction Act has expanded the duties of the council in regard to the prevention and relief of homelessness. This includes providing a free, comprehensive advice and information service to everyone who approaches the council.

5.3       The Homelessness Reduction Act is about making sure that the council has a better understanding of what people’s needs are. A thorough assessment has been introduced at the beginning of the process in which officers are spending two hours with people in order to understand their circumstances, vulnerabilities and support needs. Each person’s plan will be different.

5.4       The council recognises that the earlier it is able to work with people, even if they are not owed a specific housing duty yet, the better outcomes it can achieve. The council has been working on this approach with staff for several years.

Resolved: the committee noted the update and agreed to make the officer presentation on homelessness and the Homelessness Reduction Act available online.