Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services outlining progress made implementing the recommendations from the HOSP inquiry on the impact of homelessness on the health of single people, attached.

The Panel received and noted the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services outlining progress made with implementing the recommendations approved by Cabinet from the HOSP inquiry into the impact of homelessness on the health of single people.

The Panel were given a detailed overview regarding the progress made against individual HOSP recommendations by Matthew Waters – Senior Commissioner ICU.

It was reported that the Street Homeless Prevention Team (SHPT) were effectively working to the Housing First model, although not by name, in achieving a housing first focus especially for very vulnerable and chaotic individuals where it was recognised sustaining housing was likely to be the only outcome that might be achieved for high cost entrenched homeless individuals.

The Panel noted and welcomed the successes reported in tackling issues around homelessness in the City, including:

·  integrating employment and mental health services in order to produce a more flexible way of working with some individuals,

·  provision of greater access to accommodation for young people and care leavers, including the Bellevue Road unit housing young parents,

·  the Healthwatch work with GPs project to reduce the stigma of homelessness, the new guidance being issued to GPs had been picked up as a national issue by the British Medical Association,

·  supporting homeless individuals to work as carers in the domiciliary care market,

·  successes with the “dry house / dry unit environment” where greater flexibility allowed for better management of “slip ups”,

·  achievement of positive outcomes for individuals despite the challenging financial climate and high proportion of benefit sanctions.

Overall, the Panel’s perception was one of improvement and the Panel agreed not to make any further recommendations.