Setting the scene
We published our last Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy in January 2020. Since this point, there has been a successful partnership effort to reduce instances of rough sleeping. However, the borough faces a different and less visible set of challenges.
Before developing our new strategy, we carried out a Homelessness Review, which:
- measured the extent of homelessness in the borough
- evaluated the effectiveness of the partnership to respond to homelessness locally.
This laid the foundation for developing the strategy – identifying the partnership’s key strengths, gaps and challenges.
We then worked with partners and the public over the spring and summer of 2024 to develop the strategy - working with councillors, staff, local support services, charities, and people who had experienced homelessness. 118 individuals contributed, including at least 27 people with ‘lived experience’ of homelessness.
This Strategy acts as a flexible framework for the borough’s response to homelessness and rough sleeping - a set of principles and priorities for the next five years.
You can view our full strategy document below.