Decision details

To accept RSI Move On and Prevention Funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) of £40,059 for 2023/24.

DLUHC has allocated Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) funding with the objective of targeting resources at freeing up capacity in off-street accommodation by supporting those recently accommodated to move on to independent housing and preventing a return to the streets by those recently accommodated.

This funding is in recognition of on-going pressures being experienced by CBC to end rough sleeping within Cheltenham and has been allocated for spending as a one-off amount in this financial year only.

CBC is required to agree a plan with DLUHC, setting out how we intend to allocate this funding by end of March 2024 in order to help reduce rough sleeping.

The proposals include:

- Provision of additional emergency accommodation in Cheltenham to provide more capacity within the existing housing pathway for those identified as eligible for this funding. Estimated spend is £8,500.

- Support those being discharged from hospital or released from prison, who are at risk of returning to the streets, again through the provision of emergency accommodation in Cheltenham, in addition to the initiative referred to above. Estimated spend is also £8,500.

- Use of personal budgets. This can be used flexibly used to support people to set up tenancies in the private rented sector and support people who are new to rough sleeping or in precarious situations and need help to remain in new tenancies. Estimated spend is £8,500.

- Support to smaller faith or community sector providers to provide alternative support and accommodation to rough sleepers with barriers to accessing services. Subject to separate Cabinet Member approval, CBC will look to provide a grant to Open Door (a small independent local charity which operates a valuable drop-in service for vulnerable people). This grant will seek to strengthen this service further by funding a specialist independent professional to visit and support the health and wellbeing of guests and staff/volunteers. This will include, for example, offering mindfulness Somatic Body-based Psychology to support anxiety, stress and trauma. Our aim will be to enhance the provision of trauma informed support and promote any changes for a Psychologically

Informed Environment (PIE). Estimated spend is £5,000.

- Enhance move on options for people who have slept rough in order to prevent them from returning to the street. Again, subject to separate Cabinet Member approval, CBC will look to provide a grant to CCP (an independent local charity which operates a range of valuable services for vulnerable people) to provide time to engage with individuals, explore interests and new hobbies and ultimately help individuals to build trusting relationships with people with a view to better engaging with support services. Estimated spend is £9,500.

This funding must be spent by end of March 2024. Any underspend will need to be returned to

DLUHC.

The funding is in line with the Government’s rough sleeping strategy published September 2022 ‘Ending rough sleeping for good’ and the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative funding 2022-25 to provide local councils with long-term funding to support those sleeping rough or at risk of rough sleeping.

The funding will also support the Council in helping to meet objectives to reduce rough sleeping in line with the priorities of the Council’s ‘Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28.’

This RSI Move On and Prevention Funding will enable the Council to work with key local partner organisations to deliver new initiatives and specifically target a number of entrenched rough sleepers who have limited options and housing pathways closed down due to their complex and challenging behaviour.

None considered. This is an opportunity to accept an award of funding which is a one-off grant and will finish at the end of March 2024. The spending plan for additional funding has been co-created with DLUHC and local key stakeholders and meets government key commitments to working creatively to end rough sleeping.

These plans have been created with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Rough Sleeping Adviser. They are also supported by key officers within Cheltenham’s Housing Options Service, CCP, Open Door, and by our Cabinet Member for Housing.