Issue - decisions

To set aside up to £20,000 from the council’s Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) to prevent homelessness by supporting households who have fallen into financial hardship. (HPG is grant funding provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to help local authorities tackle homelessness.)
This funding will be used to support households with rent arrears, including former tenant arrears, with a view to helping them secure (or retain) settled accommodation.
To ensure this initiative supports those who have fallen into genuine hardship, a number of measures will be introduced, including:
• The Housing Options Service being satisfied that an applicant’s financial hardship has come about for reasons other than wilful neglect. (Examples of wilful neglect include: having sufficient income to meet their essential outgoings and having no support needs; having support needs but failing to address those needs by refusing to engage with relevant support agencies, etc.).
• A requirement for the applicant to accept debt and/or budgeting advice, and to continue to engage with other support agencies, as appropriate, and that any other remaining debts are manageable.
• The Housing Options Service being satisfied that, as a result of this intervention, the applicant will be able to secure, or retain, ‘settled’ accommodation (i.e. accommodation will be available for at least the next 6 months).
• That the applicant participates in a 6-month review with the Housing Options Team, to evaluate the overall effectiveness of this initiative.