Agenda item

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the Supporting People funded Housing Support Gateway, to raise awareness of the benefits, (to clients and partner agencies) and to highlight activity levels and future risks.

Key Issues:

1. The role of the Gateway team is to provide a single point of contact and access for Monmouthshire Housing Support services. The Gateway manages the receipt and processing of housing support referrals, undertake support assessment from or in respect of vulnerable households, manage the waiting list and arrange the ‘timely’ allocation of support packages to a range of Supporting People funded support providers.

2. As part of this core function, the team will provide information, advice, assistance and assessment of need(s) to households prior to referring to a suitable Support Provider. For example, Gwalia who provide generic floating support; MIND who provide mental health related support and Llamau who provide support for victims of domestic abuse and those needing to overcome barriers to accessing employment, skills or training.

3. An additional function of the service and when appropriate, is to provide direct support to individuals and families through the Prevention & Intervention service. This service is in effect a crisis service, where the Gateway will seek to address any immediate issues prior to referring on to a suitable Support Provider. For example, the team can undertake immediate visits, assisting with urgent appointments (e.g. benefit interviews) or form filling where time is critical and directly re-housing people. Liaising with Foodbanks is not uncommon.

4. The Gateway has recently been commissioned to provide a review service on behalf of Supporting People Commissioning. This is important because this supports quality assurance, ensuring eligible activities have been undertaken; contributes to operational efficiency (e.g. making sure cases aren’t open longer than a client needs and collating ‘what matters’ and satisfaction feedback.

5. The Gateway is a key partner to a number of other services. The Housing Options Team being one of these. All approaches made to the Council and the Housing Options Team in respect of homelessness are simultaneously passed to the Gateway in order for housing support to commence as soon as possible for individual homeless applicants.

The aim of this arrangement is for support providers, including the Gateway Prevention & Intervention Service, is to provide a complementary prevention service over and above the statutory role of the Housing Options Team.

6. Other partnerships include supporting Social Care, collaborating in the development of the “place based” Housing & Well-Being and Social Inclusion services which is housing support delivered through an integrated approach from the four Monmouthshire Hubs.

7. The Gateway provides an important role in respect of supporting the Council’s Safeguarding responsibilities and helping to identify and support vulnerable people in circumstances such as domestic abuse and the abuse of both children and adults.

Member Scrutiny:

The Select Committee received a presentation from the Senior Housing Support Officer with Monmouthshire’s Housing Support Gateway and had the opportunity to ask questions. The Officer was thanked for the excellent presentation and the work that the Gateway undertakes.

A Member commented on the removal of the Severn bridge tolls, increases to rent and mortgages, and rising interest rates and asked if these factors create pressures within the service.  It was responded that any kinds of changes can impact on services acknowledging that it is difficult to find affordable housing within Monmouthshire anyway.  Affordability is at the heart of many housing applications received, and it was noted that, typically, market rental rates are above benefit levels. 

A Member explained that, in planning terms, applications for or changes to multiple residency houses are rarely seen. It was confirmed that this is the case.  There is a shared housing scheme that provides the main units in the County but commented that housing associations are beginning to consider this approach. This is unlikely to have an impact in the short term.

A Member referred to the upcoming national rough-sleeper count fortnight and questioned if there is likely to be an increase in rates.  It was explained that a slight increase is expected; more than previous years.

It was queried if there were any common themes causing persons to be rough sleepers.  It was responded that there are mixed reasons.