New homelessness and rough sleeping strategy

A new homelessness and rough sleeping strategy setting out priorities for the next 5 years was adopted by councillors at the Cabinet meeting on Thursday 11 December.

The strategy outlines our plans for preventing and reducing homelessness and for ensuring that sufficient accommodation and support are available for people who are at risk or those who become homeless.

Work with our partners to review homelessness in the city and public consultation in the autumn helped shape the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030. Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation and attended public engagement events to share their views.

Homelessness in Brighton & Hove

The council is committed to providing more accessible, affordable and high-quality homes and is delivering more housing, including building more than 200 new council homes in Moulsecoomb.

However, not everyone in the city has a settled home and a report to the Cabinet meeting sets out that one in 77 people in the city are experiencing homelessness, including around 1,400 children.

Most homelessness involves people living in temporary accommodation or in insecure accommodation not just those sleeping rough.

The new strategy builds on action already being taken by our housing teams together with our partners to prevent homelessness and provide support to people who have become homeless.

Priorities and commitments

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030 sets out 3 priorities to prevent homelessness and guide our work over the next 5 years, with a number of targeted, strategic actions for each. 

The 3 priorities are:

1. Increase our effectiveness in preventing homelessness and rough sleeping

  • Early identification of risk and early intervention
  • Support people to stay in their homes or to find a new home
  • Targeted prevention for people at risk of rough sleeping

2. Improve temporary accommodation pathways and experiences

  • Improve move on from temporary accommodation into settled housing
  • Support people living in temporary accommodation
  • Improve the supply and quality of temporary accommodation

3. Improve joined-up support with our partners for people who most need help

  • Target support for people who are most vulnerable
  • Create integrated services for people with multiple compound needs
  • Support people experiencing rough sleeping to access services and accommodation

The strategy also includes a specific focus on tackling homelessness in children, families and young people.

Preventing homelessness

Councillor Paul Nann, the council’s lead member for homelessness, said: “Sadly not everyone in the city enjoys the benefits of a settled home and we are working tirelessly to change that.

“Homelessness can happen to anyone, but it disproportionately affects people who are already vulnerable – those who can’t afford to pay the rent, people fleeing violence and abuse, and those evicted by their landlord or asked to leave by family or friends – and the consequences can be devastating.

“Our overarching priority is to stop people becoming homeless in the first place and, with our partners, our housing teams are already working hard to prevent homelessness.

“With high demand for housing in the city, we know there is still much more to do.

“This strategy ties in with the government’s national goal to end homelessness announced yesterday and we welcome the commitment for additional investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

“We are grateful to everyone who has helped to shape our strategy for the next 5 years, including our partners and people with lived experience of homelessness. We have developed and refined these priorities and commitments together.”

Building on work over the last 5 years

Work already being carried out to prevent homelessness as part of the 2020 to 2025 Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy has included:

  • Revising our Housing Allocations Policy to ensure that people who have experienced homelessness can remain on the housing register after moving into private rented housing
  • Setting up a tenancy sustainment service to help prevent repeat homelessness
  • Working with partners in the voluntary sector to offer advice and support, including outreach services, day centre provision and supported housing.
  • With social care and the NHS, developing pathways for the most vulnerable, including rough sleepers, 16 and17-year-olds, care leavers, refugees, and people with multiple compound needs.

In 2021 Brighton & Hove became the first UK council to sign the Homeless Bill of Rights, reinforcing our determination to uphold the rights of people experiencing homelessness.

Make Change Count

If you’d like to support the charities and organisations in Brighton & Hove working with people to help them find a permanent solution to their homelessness, please donate to Make Change Count.

The Make Change Count campaign links local organisations experienced in supporting rough sleepers and preventing homelessness.

This year’s campaign has raised more than £3,000 so far. Many thanks to everyone who has donated.

Find out more

 

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