Agenda item - A Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Croydon

Officer: Hazel Simmonds

Key decision: Yes

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To

1. Agree the draft priorities for a Housing Strategy and Action Plan for Croydon and authorise the commencement of a process of consultation and engagement with key external stakeholders to develop the strategy and action plan;

2. Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Gateway Services to agree the final draft of the Housing Strategy and Action Plan for consultation (currently under development);

3. Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Gateway Services to recommend the updated Housing Strategy and Action Plan to full Council for adoption following consideration of the outcome of the consultation and engagement;

4. Agree the draft priorities for a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy for Croydon and authorise the commencement of a process of statutory consultation and engagement with key external stakeholders to develop the strategy;

5. Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Gateway Services to agree the final draft of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy for consultation (currently under development); and

6. Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Gateway Services to recommend the updated Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy to full Council for adoption following consideration of the outcome of the consultation and engagement.

The Cabinet watched a video made by Crisis charity which outlined the current housing crisis and the need for local housing allowance to be restored.

The Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services explained that there was a need for more homes across the UK and in Croydon and that they should be safe and of high quality. It was noted that approximately 1280 Croydon children would go to sleep tonight in emergency accommodation.

She echoed her fellow Cabinet Members comments regarding the housing crisis being linked with all Cabinet portfolios, therefore, she was pleased the Strategy had been shaped by a variety of services. The Strategy was due to go out for consultation and the results of this would shape the draft plan for Croydon.

Members were informed that the report highlighted the three aims; affordability to rent and buy, social homes, and improving access to homes and independent living. It included looking at the different types of homes needed within the Borough and how many needed to be developed. The Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services thanked all the officers who had worked on the report and Strategy, in particular Hazel Simmonds, Executive Director - Gateway Strategy and Engagement, Caroline Toogood, Head of Strategic Projects and Growth, and John Montes, Senior Strategy Officer.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services noted the importance of everyone having a place they were safe and could call home and thanked all those who volunteer in shelters. She requested that the proposed Strategy included the provision for homes for residents over the age of 65 and those with disabilities; it was important to ensure residents could live independently for as long as possible and hospitals were able to discharge patients timely. It was added that mobility scooter storage space should also be provided in lifetime homes. The Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services requested that the results from the consultation on the strategy be brought back to Cabinet for discussion.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services thanked Councillor Hale for her commitment to volunteering in the shelters, and the other Councillors and residents who volunteered. She agreed that accessible homes, including wheelchair homes, were really important and explained that they would form a big part of the Strategy; it was being reviewed which types of housing was needed for the Borough and officers were forward planning for which houses would be needed in the future. The Strategy would also look at adapting current homes to be suitable for all accessibility needs. Officers would ensure that mobility scooter storage would be provided in safe places, and that they would not be in fire risk locations. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services agreed to present the consultation results at Cabinet.

The Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care thanked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services for the extremely powerful film. It was explained that housing greatly impacted on health and wellbeing and had been made particularly difficult because of the 70% of cuts the authority had faced.

The Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board, Councillor Louisa Woodley, thanked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services and housing officers for providing quality homes to the most vulnerable residents in Croydon, especially following the funding cuts. She added that housing was a key element in the Health & Wellbeing Strategy.

The Deputy Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources and BAME Champion explained that she worked closely with Crystal Palace FC during the Black History Month launch and she had received positive comments regarding a high number of homeless individuals, who were well known to the club, who had been housed and were being well supported by the Gateway Services teams under Julia Pitt, Director of Gateway Services. The Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care thanked Councillor Patsy Cummings and added that she would pass the gratitude on to the Director of Gateway Services and her teams.

The Chair of Scrutiny Streets, Environment & Homes Sub-Committee thanked the officers and Cabinet Member for fully engaging with Scrutiny regarding the Strategy and noted that she looked forward to discussing it at the Scrutiny Streets, Environment & Homes Sub-Committee.

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make thefollowing decisions: