Background
Coventry City Council no longer owns its own housing, having transferred its stock to Whitefriars Housing Group (now Citizen Housing) in 2000. However, the Council still has strategic housing responsibilities and a duty to carry out a periodic review of homelessness and to publish a Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy.
2.1 Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2019-2024
The current Housing and Homelessness Strategy was published in 2019 and runs until 2024. Its aim is to provide a high-level plan to set out the main priorities for the Council and its partners for the life of the strategy, to guide the allocation of resources and investment, and provide a framework to inform project development to achieve the vision that:
Coventry Citizens will be able to access a suitable, affordable, and decent home, with the support they need to sustain their housing.
In 2019 when the current strategy was developed the previous Homelessness Strategy and Housing Strategy (2014-2019) were combined into one document. The rationale of this decision was that it was recognised that activities to prevent and relieve homelessness were to a certain degree dependent on the availability of permanent housing.
Whilst great achievements have been seen and the delivery of the housing and homelessness function and strategy have moved, developed, and changed since its initial publication, we have also seen a shift in terms of some of the priorities and the challenges that sit alongside these.
Rather than combine strategies in the way we did in 2019 this strategy has a specific focus on homelessness and rough sleeping as key issues.
The Covid pandemic has changed the way we operate and deliver homeless services in the city. Our teams began working from home in the early stages of the pandemic and, now a model of hybrid working with a combination of in person work and remote (home working) has become the norm. This has meant that online contact and telephone based work has replaced much of what was done in person. Working this way also makes us more accessible for some as residents are not required to attend our premises in order to engage with us. There will always be people do not have access to the appropriate technology to engage remotely, or prefer face to face contact, so the option to come into the office and meet in person remains open to them.
The financial crisis is having a significant effect on households in the city. Many people are faced with making a choice between rent, heating, and food. We have seen an increase in people approaching for homelessness support both nationally and locally, with the top 3 reasons for homelessness being in line with national and historical trends.
The implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017) in 2018 changed the way that homelessness services are delivered by local authorities. There have also been further changes to legislation, such as the Domestic Abuse Act, which placed further duties on local authorities to provide temporary accommodation to all who are homeless because of domestic abuse. The decision to leave the European Union has also been an influential factor, and changes made as part of the UK’s withdrawal from Europe have impacted on who is eligible to receive homelessness assistance.
The culmination of these factors alongside other challenges such as the Local Housing Allowance falling some way short of local rental values, has resulted in the council seeing greater numbers of households approaching for assistance and support than we have previously experienced.
2.2 Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan 2019-2024
Coventry published its first Rough Sleeping Strategy in December 2019, in line with a requirement by the Government for all Local Authorities to have a strategy to prevent and tackle rough sleeping. From the outset it was accepted that the successful delivery of the Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan was not in the Council's power alone. Therefore, a partnership approach is the only way that we will be able to ensure successful realisation of our vision, therefore the strategy needed to be owned, supported, and delivered by ensuring effective collaboration and partnership working.
The Rough Sleeping Strategy and its Action Plan were reflective of and intrinsically linked to the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy. The two strategies were considered and delivered in tandem at this point in time where the Housing and Homelessness Strategy set the vison for housing in the city and our priorities as well as preventing and tackling homelessness.
Since the approval of the strategy in 2019 there has been a world-wide pandemic. Obviously, this has had a number of serious and negative impacts on individuals and society as a whole. In regard to rough sleeping there have been a number of positive outcomes in regard to our ability to accommodate and support some of the most entrenched rough sleepers in Coventry. The impact of this can be seen in the number of people accommodated as part of the ‘Everyone-In’ initiative.
The current Rough Sleeping strategy was reviewed during 2022 to reflect the shifts that had happened as a result of the covid 19 pandemic and the increased funding and support that was being provided for those rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
Achievements and Impact from the previous strategies
Since adopting the last strategy in 2019 we have seen a number of changes and impacts on homelessness and rough sleeping in Coventry, these include but are not limited to:
- The Homelessness Reduction Act duties have been fully integrated into the homelessness service.
- Recruitment of Head of Housing, Housing and Homelessness Operational Lead (Accommodation Team) and Housing & Homelessness Commissioning and Partnerships Lead – as a result housing and homelessness is led at the appropriate level to drive forward continuous improvement in the service
- Creation and expansion of Rough Sleeper Outreach Team who carry out outreach 5 mornings per week – as a result of this we have regular face to face to contact with rough sleepers in the city and have built a number of trusting relationships. This enables us to provide better support rough sleepers when they are on the street and respond quickly when there is a change in circumstances
- Creation of additional accommodation options for rough sleepers including short-, medium- and long-term provision – as a result should any one rough sleeping want to be off the street, even for a night, we can respond to this. Spending nights off the street can provide a useful first step to considering moving into more permanent accommodation.
- Creation of the Temporary Accommodation Team- which has enabled us to purchase our own temporary accommodation and ensure the use of B&B accommodation for families is minimised.
- Created our own internal Supported temporary accommodation offer (STA) for those who are most vulnerable, with on-site wrap around support which means individuals are supported to address the wider challenges that impact upon their homelessness.
- The Service adapted and continued to deliver services during the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions.
- Regular training is provided to various council services and external partners in relation to homelessness and rough sleeping which has resulted in better joined up support for individuals who find themselves homeless.
- There has been a Redesign of the Coventry Homelessness Forum which now has in excess of 100 members on the mailing list and is chaired by someone with lived experience of homelessness.
- A Co-creation panel was set up for those with lived experience of homelessness – as a result we are listening, in a structured way, to the experience of people who have been or are homeless which enables us to ensure the support we offer is relevant to the needs of the homeless community.
- The housing related support services were recommissioned and launched in April 2020 – the redesign of the provision has meant that support is provided at multiple points of someone’s homelessness, including early intervention and tenancy sustainment
- Carried out a full review of our home finder policy which now means that we are more effectively allocating our housing stock based on housing need.
Operating environment
Since 2019 homelessness has increased both nationally and locally. The pandemic has had devastating impacts on our communities, affecting their health, causing social and economic disruption. More recently, the cost of living has increased steeply, and previous economic downturns suggest the impact of an economic crisis on homelessness presentations will be seen over two or three years
Since 2010 Councils have faced a significant reduction to core funding from the Government and more recently have seen significant increases in costs as a result of the high rates of inflation alongside increasing demand for services. Many of our partners have also experienced these issues and there is an ongoing need for efficiencies and savings.’
There has been significant national investment into Rough Sleeper services which has made a significant impact to our ability and capacity to support rough sleepers, but this funding is time limited and currently confirmed up to 31 March 2025 only.
When people do need to move, their housing options are limited. Average private rents in Great Britain have risen to record highs, with annual rental growth in hotspot locations, specifically Coventry increasing by 19.5% between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024 RightMove: Rental Trends Tracker Q1 2024 (PDF)
Homelessness and rough sleeping go beyond housing. They affect mental wellness, physical health, independence, self-esteem, and life choices. Without homes and the sense of community they can provide, it is easy to feel isolated and alone.
We realise how hard it is to ask for help and how easy it can be to feel defined by the label of homeless or rough sleeping. This strategy is not about simply ticking boxes, assigning labels or making assumptions about why somebody needs our help. At its heart, it is about breaking stigmas to understand and support people out of homelessness. We will work hard to see the stories behind the situation people find themselves in. Losing a tenancy and or being unable to find suitable and safe accommodation can be a frustrating and traumatic experience. It is therefore important that we focus on preventing people who are at risk of homelessness from losing their homes. We want to move beyond a reactive response. We will focus on reducing population-wide risks of homelessness by developing stable, supportive and inclusive environments. The longer someone is homeless, the greater the risk of worsening physical and mental health problems. It is crucial that we intervene as early as possible to provide support and work quickly to help people find a suitable home or where appropriate remain in their current accommodation and preventing homelessness. It is also important that when we intervene, the support we provide ensures long-term solutions and reduces the risk of repeat homelessness.