Leaders work on plan to end rough sleeping in Suffolk by 2027
They may approve £75,000 of funding this week
Leaders in Suffolk are working on a plan to effectively end rough sleeping in the county by 2027.
On Friday, members of the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders will decide whether to give £75,000 worth of funding to Suffolk Housing Board.
Suffolk Public Sector Leaders explained their plans: "During the Covid pandemic, anyone sleeping on the streets was rapidly housed under the ‘Everyone In’ initiative. During this, 160 people were accommodated in Suffolk in six weeks, including 42 in one day.
"There is a desire to build on that work and the lessons learned, providing a long-term, sustainable solution to the problem in Suffolk and help more people through a preventative approach."
When will the group decide?
The Suffolk Public Sector Leaders group will discuss the issue at its next meeting on Friday, February 17th.
It will decide whether to approve £75,000 funding for the Suffolk Housing Board to further develop proposals to prevent rough sleeping and support people who fall into crisis on the streets.
A consistent approach to commissioning rough sleeper services in Suffolk will be looked at, along with a shared approach to delivering specialist health and substance misuse services for those on the streets.
It will also consider investing £100,000 into developing plans to support young people leaving local authority care, who are at greater risk of homelessness.
There were more than 500 care leavers in Suffolk last year, and the group hopes that independence training will help young people with this transition, increase opportunities and prevent eviction from tenancies.
Suzie Morley, chair of Suffolk Public Sector Leaders and leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “These are complicated challenges and there is no easy, quick fix.
“But taking a county-wide approach gives us the best chance to address them, using a broad focus on prevention and early intervention. We don’t want a single person to be living on the streets.”
The report
The report to be considered by SPSL says many rough sleepers are chronically excluded with complex and chaotic lifestyles, this placing significant demands on multiple services.
It looks ahead to how the Suffolk system - including health, police and the voluntary sector – would work together to look at potential solutions.
It highlights the importance of understanding the extent of the current problems, the cost, and how much could be saved by taking a preventive approach, as well as ensuring sustainable funding is in place.