Cuts to services for homeless young people leaving care in Oxfordshire
The total number of beds would be reduced from 203 to as few as 154
The number of beds available for homeless young people leaving the care system has been cut by Oxfordshire County Council.
The council has approved the plan to reduce the number of beds by 20 per cent and reduce the age limit for accessing the service from 25 to 21.
Councillor Sean Gaul, cabinet member for children and young people, made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday, August 19.
These changes were made to the contracts for the Young People’s Supported Accommodation programme, which is due to expire in September.
The aim of the programme is to provide care leavers with supported accommodation, to allow them to gain life skills and pursue further education, training or employment opportunities.
The total number of beds would be reduced from 203 to as few as 154.
In their report, officers said there were important reasons for not extending all the contracts, including “low occupancy numbers” and “low waiting lists” in certain areas.
Young people between 21 and 25 who are currently using the service will not be made homeless, but the service will stop accepting referrals from anyone over 21.
At the meeting councillor Gaul said: “To say we’ve gone about this as carefully as possible … is an understatement.
“We have done, I think, as much as can be done to get this decision as correct as possible.”