Report Reveals Level of Cuts For Vulnerable in Weymouth & Portland

Tax cuts for the richest and then this for the most vulnerable. Rough sleepers; victims of domestic violence; addicts… all find themselves on the end of policies that are becoming devoid of compassion and understanding. 

The local council is having to meet stated aims with less and less funding by borrowing from Peter to feed Paul. All because the casino bankers were not held up to justice by either the Labour or Tory administrations of recent years.

Now we have a crisis that will only get worse:

The council was advised by DCLG in late 2015 that HPG will continue to be paid to WPBC at the following levels in the coming years:

2016/17 £140,810

2017/18 £141,003

2018/19 £141,277

2019/20 £141,750

5.2 However, the the council’s overall grant settlement for 2016/17 onwards has reduced significantly. The net impact of this is that HPG can no longer be identified as additional income to the council. There is no longer, therefore, a separate grant that can be earmarked for homelessness prevention work from 2016/17 onwards, and the council must instead decide how to spend its grant settlement. Future spending on homelessness prevention measures must therefore come from the General Reserve.

1. 5.3  This loss of a ring-fenced HPG might have been mitigated by being able to use the Housing Reserve to fill the funding gap, but this has been earmarked for other council priorities.

2. 5.4  The underspend of approximately £14,000 on the 2016/17 HPG budget, which, as previously agreed, is available for funding future year initiatives. This will be returned to the housing reserve which will then stand at £21,000

3. 5.5  There remain, though, a number of important homelessness prevention measures which are required for 2017/18, and the only source for funding these is through the General Reserve.

4. 5.6  Given the realities of the new financial position from 2017/18 onwards, only a small number of key homelessness prevention measures can be afforded in 2017/18. In addition, there are a small number of one-off expenditures required, which are outlined below.

5. 5.7  In choosing which measures should proceed in 2017/18, we have identified key aspects of our service that we are contractually obliged to continue with and/or deliver the clearest benefits for individuals and the wider community in preventing or resolving homelessness. It is proposed that the top priorities to be funded are:

1. 5.8  EDP Street Homeless Outreach Project: our contract with EDP delivers an assertive street homeless outreach service. The reduction of rough sleepers is a key national and local priority, and in addition EDP provides emergency accommodation for rough sleepers when the weather deteriorates.

2. 5.9  Discretionary Homelessness Prevention: this enables housing staff to use small amounts of money to prevent homelessness. This has been used, for example, to arrange packages of assistance to delay and prevent evictions.

1. 5.10  Domestic violence target hardening: funding has ceased for the local organisation that has been providing a range of additional security measures in properties where an occupier is at threat of domestic violence, and where it is recommended some additional work is necessary. The council is supporting this work to a modest extent as a homelessness prevention measure.

2. 5.11  Ad hoc prevention projects: a small level of funding for as yet unknown ad hoc prevention projects will help us remain flexible in our responses. If this is unspent at year end, it will transfer back into the Housing Reserve.

3. 5.12  The Homeless Reduction Bill will make changes to the current homelessness legislation contained in Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996. It will place new duties on the council to intervene at earlier stages to prevent homelessness and to take reasonable steps to help those who become homeless to secure accommodation. It will also expand the categories of people we have to help to find accommodation. This funding will allow us to start preparing for the changes ahead. If this funding remains unspent at year end it will transfer back into the Housing Reserve.

4. 5.13  The Lantern project’s grant funding from Dorset County Council’s (DCC) was drastically cut back in 2016/17 for the support they gave to single homeless people with support needs, such as substance misuse and ex-offenders. This meant that Melcombe House, a Bournemouth Churches HA scheme, will no longer receive DCC funding. Instead, The Lantern has been asked to provide an enhanced service to this client group for the next 18 months while the service is reviewed. They asked if the council could help fund this gap. The Lantern were provided with financial assistance of £10,000 for 2016/17, which came from the homelessness prevention budget. This funding enabled The Lantern to function effectively on a day-to-day basis, and helped them achieve successful
   outcomes for a client group that represents the most socially excluded in society. Failure to help the project through this grant may result in a much greater demand on the council’s Housing Options service. It remains a sensible use of money to offset this risk.

5. 5.14  Members should note that the reduction in spending on homelessness prevention comes at a time when the picture nationally and locally is that homelessness is on the rise.

6. 5.15  Approval of this proposed expenditure from the General Reserve for 2017/18 will enable a sensible suite of initiatives to proceed. The Head of Housing will return to members in early 2018 to outline a proposed funding requirement for 2018/19. 

   More here: 

   Management Committee

   7th March 2017

Youth homelessness on the rise in England