Agenda item

[Anthony Walker, Head of Homelessness and Migration, to present report]

The Chair invited Anthony Walker, Head of Homelessness and Migration, to give the presentation. 

The Head of Homelessness gave the Government’s definition of the phrase ‘rough sleepers’ which refers specifically to people either sleeping or about to bed down in the open air or public spaces which would not be deemed as accommodation.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that people do habitually rough sleep despite having secure accommodation and reassured members that the outreach service offers every individual help to access support services and housing.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that the Rough Sleeper Annual Count took place on Thursday 10 November 2022 between 11:45pm to 2:30am across five locations in the City.

The Head of Homelessness commented that there has been a slow reduction in the numbers of rough sleepers over the last few months after an increase in numbers during autumn 2022.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that an organisation P3 have been commissioned to provide rough sleeper services for the City until April 2025. The service is delivered in partnership with other voluntary and community sector organisations.

The Head of Homelessness advised that the life expectancy for people sleeping rough is considerably lower than the national average, 43 years for women and 47 years for men, in comparison to 82 years women and 79 years for men in the UK. In addition, people with a history of rough sleeping experience severe mental health inequalities when compared to the general population.

The Head of Homelessness commented on trends highlighted in the survey, some of which are more challenging to address due to additional factors, for example, personal choice or complex immigration status or substance misuse. The Head of Homelessness added that most individuals sleeping rough in Wolverhampton are not homeless and have accommodation options, but issues such as mental health or substance misuse is a barrier to them using their settled accommodation.

The Head of Homelessness commented on the findings from monthly survey count detailing the numbers of people regularly sleeping rough in Wolverhampton. The monitoring findings are submitted to the DLUHC. The monthly figures have remained low since November 2022.

John Denley, Director of Public Health, commented on the improvements in reducing the number of people sleeping rough when compared to the situation four years ago where 35 people were recorded as sleeping rough. The Director highlighted the challenges facing the professional service, for example, providing support to people with dual diagnosis – a very significant substance misuse and acute mental health issues in terms of them being able to access appropriate support services. 

The Director added that in this example, unless you can stabilise a person’s mental health situation it will be a challenge to address their substance misuse issues and vice versa. The Director commented on the efforts of the service and the wider partnership to reduce the numbers of people rough sleeping to single figures, despite the current economic challenges.

The Head of Homelessness outlined the details of ongoing and upcoming projects and key dates to note and highlighted the success of the ‘peer mentors’ project which has helped someone get full time employment.

The Head of Homelessness commented on the success of Peter Bilson House and advised the panel that 22 people are insettled rooms and 11 residents on site. The home will be fully occupied by the end of July 2023. The panel were invited to visit the building to see the work being done to provide settled and emergency accommodation for people with a history of rough sleeping.

The Head of Homelessness commented on the work being done to respond to the increase in street and aggressive begging at traffic lights along the main routes into the City. The Head of Homelessness outlined the range of enforcement action options to deal with the issue of street and aggressive begging. The aim, however, is to use enforcement powers in limited circumstances and to encourage positive alternatives to begging, such as selling the Big Issue.

The Head of Homelessness welcomed suggestions from the panel about how to address the issue of rough sleeping.

The panel were invited to comment and endorse the approach to rough sleeping as set out in the presentation.

A panel asked for advice to members of the public about what they should do when approached by a beggar and further details about the reasons for the increase in May 2023 of the numbers counted as regularly sleeping rough compared to the April 2023 count.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that the purpose of the count is not simply to identify people but to offer support and working with them to find accommodation.  Most people included in the count have since been accommodated with the support of local organisations.  The Head of Homelessness commented that if the individual does not want to work with the service, then continued efforts will be made to try and engage with them and offer support.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that the service wants to work with public in encouraging people rather than give money but to having a conversation with them and advising them to contact the organisation P3 for information and support. The Head of Homelessness offered to give panel members cards for the organisation that can be given to the public.

The panel discussed the issue of begging in specific areas and concerns of residents feeling intimidated when approached in cars at traffic lights and that the situation was likely to increase in response to the financial crisis.

The Head of Homelessness referred the panel to the presentation slide which outlined the three elements of the strategy to respond to street and aggressive begging.

The Head of Homelessness commented about concerns about increase in homelessness and advised the panel that a new homeless strategy is being developed. The review will not just focus on rough sleepers but wider issues such as how do we get more affordable accommodation? How do we get the private sector to work for us? How do we support people to stay in their properties? The Head of Homelessness offered to present the strategy for comment to a future meeting of the panel.

The Director of Public Health commented in response to concerns about increase in the number of people begging about the changing pattern of street begging pre and post covid and the shift from the city centre to begging at busy street junctions.

The Director added that the key message to the public is that they should not give people begging for money, but if they did then the option of alternative giving option and the importance of giving people the P3 cards. The importance of reinforcing this message to the public in helping to break the cycle of sleeping was highlighted.

The panel shared individual experiences when trying to work or engage with people sleeping rough or begging in their wards and the challenges it presents. The Director commented on the change in the reasons for people begging and the importance of encouraging them to contact appropriate services rather than the public give money which reinforces the behaviour.

A panel member queried the reference in the presentation to two people being released from prison who had been included in the rough sleeper annual account as they would need an address before they would be released. 

The Head of Homelessness commented on the case of people being released from prison referred to in the rough sleeping survey who become homeless, and this was not unusual. A person may have an address before they leave prison where they stay, but the person offering the accommodation can later change their mind, and the ex-offender is then asked to leave.

The Head of Homelessness reassured the panel about work of joint project with the probation service to provide accommodation for ex-offenders where they can be supported. The importance of getting someone into accommodation with appropriate support asap was highlighted in helping to reduce the risk of reoffending.

A panel queried the definition of the phrase ‘regularly sleeping rough’ referred to in the presentation slide on single night figures. The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that the count would include a count on one night, and the approach of the service is that a person should not have to spend a second night. The service will work with the homeless person to find alternative accommodation to prevent this.

A panel member expressed concerns about the increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness as result of the housing financial crisis and queried the plans of the City to prepare for this. A panel member also queried the reference in the rough sleeper annual count which listed two people undergoing an immigration process and wanted assurance about plans to prevent a repeat of this.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that reason for people undergoing an immigration process referred to in the count was due to issues relating to their visa application which led to them being homeless. The panel were reassured that the situation was quickly resolved as was considered to be an exception.

The Head of Homelessness commented that in terms about the level of preparation for possible increased in homelessness that the focus of current work is securing as much affordable accommodation as possible. There are discussions ongoing with colleagues in housing to identify what is needed and how to make accommodation as affordable as possible across the City, the work includes the conversion of office blocks into apartments.

A panel member queried the work done to check the suitability of accommodation for ex-offenders to determine if the is still available.

The Head of Homelessness commented on the emotional impact when a family member or partner decides that a person can no longer stay at the property and advised the panel about discussions with Probation Service to think about alternatives. The Head of Homelessness commented on the importance of having early conversations to get a realistic view of how long an ex-offender could stay at the property. The Head of Homelessness added that the number of people leaving prison without an address is very small but accepted that there is more work to be done with colleagues in Probation Service to prevent this situation.

A panel member queried what more could be done to encourage members of the public not to give money to people who are begging. The Head of Homelessness advised the panel recognised the difficulty the situation creates for people responding to someone in distress and this was also a challenge for the service. The Head of Homelessness encouraged people to donate to alternative giving rather give the person money for the reasons given earlier by the Director.

A panel member queried the effectiveness of the publicity about P3 Cards and the alternative giving scheme and wanted to better understand the ideas being considered to promote their use with the wider public. The panel member also queried the process for reporting incidents of aggressive begging or people sleeping rough.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that rough sleepers can be referred using the https://www.streetlink.org.uk/ website and the information will be shared with linked organisations that can offer support. The work is supported by a rough sleeper’s coordinator who can deal with any concerns from the public.

A panel member welcomed the opening of Peter Bilson House and praised the quality of the facilities but queried the reason for the delay in not achieving full occupancy till July 2023. The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that each person referred will have to be interviewed which has caused a delay, but the building is scheduled to be fully occupied by July 2023.

A panel member queried the length of time a person could stay in an emergency bed before being moved to alternative accommodation. The panel member also queried the causes of homelessness and the support offered to young people in this situation to give them the skills needed to manage independent living.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that the causes leading to homelessness are varied and complex and reassured the panel that it is rare for a former care leaver in Wolverhampton to be become a rough sleeper due to the level of support offered, which is very commendable for the service.

The Head of Homelessness advised the panel that a person can stay in emergency accommodation for a week before being moved to different supported accommodation or their own property. The aim is to move people asap from emergency beds due the level of demand.

A panel member shared examples of residents building relationships with people sleeping rough and the help given to them. The panel member commented on the difficulty for residents when trying to make referrals to streetlink website which asks questions about the person which they cannot answer, for example, have you physically seen this person sleeping rough?

The Head of Homelessness commented that getting access to support and advice should be made as easy as possible. The information requested when making a referral is need before starting work with the individual to have a better understanding of the situation if the person is not known to the service.

The Head of Homelessness welcomed the comments and acknowledged the important role of residents in building trust with people sleeping rough in helping them to engage with the service.

The Head of Homelessness agreed to review the current arrangements in response to the point raised and would support changes that will help reduce delays in people accessing support needed.

A panel member queried if the service had all the resources needed and if there were any gaps in provision.

The Director commented that the service would always welcome extra resources and highlighted the important work of the current partnership working arrangements and the benefits of this for the City.

The Director commented that the service would benefit from a stabilised public health grant allocations to local authorities and a move away from yearly awards. The Director commented on the pride in the partnership work between the Council and partner agencies to support people sleeping rough.

The panel thanked the presenters for the report.

Resolved:

1.    The panel endorse the approach to rough sleeping as outlined in the presentation.

2.    The panel support opportunities for a one Council and city-wide approach to street and aggressive begging.

3.    The Head of Homelessness to note the comments of the panel.

4.    The Head of Homelessness to arrange dates for a visit to Peter Bilson House.