Update on HSP Strategy Priorities

Priority 1: Strengthen early intervention and prevention services and specialised support to prevent homelessness

A mediation/conflict resolution service was highlighted as a gap in our service provision in the HSP Strategy, with breakdown in relationship and parental exclusion both common reasons for homeless presentations. We have since developed a pilot service, awarded to The Wallich, which will include support for those experiencing family breakdown, neighbour dispute, or landlord and tenant disputes with the aim of reducing the number of presentations.

An Assertive Outreach for Street Homeless service was awarded to The Wallich in 2023, with the aim that there will be a flexible service across a seven-day week, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends, in order to meet the needs of those who are street homeless. There will be partnership working with the local health board and the support of Alcohol Liaison Nurses and Immunisation Nurses to ensure that those who are rough sleeping are able to better access these vital health services. The support delivered by this service and the local intelligence gathered informs the data collected by the local authority each month, for both returns made to Welsh Government and internal performance indicators. Implementation of this service commenced in late 2023.

The HSP Strategy highlighted the need for a more enhanced offer for domestic abuse support in Pembrokeshire, evidenced by the 210.8% increase in homeless presentations due to a violent relationship breakdown between 2017/18 and 2022/23. In early 2023 we awarded our domestic abuse service to Pembrokeshire Domestic Abuse Service for floating support and supported accommodation, including the refuge. This one service incorporated the previously separate domestic abuse services into a stronger, more comprehensive package. PDAS is a Calan/Threshold partnership and will therefore have close links with the IDVA service as two of the five services in the Dal I Godi partnership who won the IDVA contract for Dyfed Powys. This new service will provide a wider range of support including more specialised sexual violence support, support for LGBTQ+ people, and support for male victim/survivors. Implementation of this service began in late 2023.

We have developed an older persons floating support service for an initial 18 months. Previously, support for older persons in Pembrokeshire was limited to those in some of our supported accommodation and a gap was highlighted for those who require support to remain in their own homes. This service was awarded to Age Cymru Dyfed and will provide tenure neutral housing related floating support. As part of this service, funding is ring-fenced for a comprehensive analysis of the support needs of older persons in Pembrokeshire and to draft a report that will inform the design of older persons services in Pembrokeshire in the future. In ensuring that support is tenure neutral, we aim to keep people independent in their own homes and prevent costlier interventions through the homelessness or social care route.

In 2023 a pilot for a decluttering service was implemented, with the aim to inform our approach to hoarding. The limitations of the HSG eligibility criteria meant that whilst this pilot gave us a picture of the scale of hoarding problem, it was difficult to deliver the level of support to those at the more extreme end of the scale. As part of this pilot, an evaluation report was developed which will inform any future services. Whilst the HSG criteria has been relaxed slightly recently, a proper hoarding service remains a gap in our service provision. The design of any such service will require multi-agency input from organisations such as mental health services, housing, environmental health, and the fire service.

Our HSG-funded Youth Service continues to deliver tenancy skills programme in order to support tenancy sustainability for people aged 16-25 and also delivers early intervention and prevention support through workshops in schools and colleges throughout Pembrokeshire. In 2024, our Youth supported accommodation has increased from 6 to 7 spaces, with another property commissioned in collaboration with ateb. Four of these spaces will be for care-experienced young people after this was highlighted as a gap.

Priority 2: Ensuring people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness access the right home at the right time, as part of our Rapid Rehousing approach

A new service provider, NACRO, has taken over the delivery of support in our emergency accommodation at the Silverdale Lodge. As part of this service provision, there is now an outreach worker to deliver support to those in other temporary accommodation such as the PODS and the B&Bs. As a result of this, we are more accurately mapping the support needs of those in TA and delivering the right support at the right time. With all support services linking in with the Gateway, we are also ensuring that we have a complete picture of the level of support needed for those in our temporary accommodation in order to promote tenancy sustainment in any new permanent accommodation allocation.

Increasing access to the private rented sector was highlighted as a priority due to the unaffordability and inaccessibility of the PRS in Pembrokeshire. This was a result of the freezing of LHA rates at the outset of the pandemic and the implementation of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 which saw a lot of private landlords leave the market. The availability of housing in Pembrokeshire has shrunk without being able to rely on this element of the sector. We have launched the Leasing Scheme Wales, a Welsh Government funded scheme where private landlords can essentially lend their properties to the local authority for a determined period of time. The local authority takes over all work relating to the property and any allocations made to it and the private landlord receives a guaranteed income for the duration of the scheme at LHA rate. As well as this, we hosted a landlord forum where local landlords could network.

Increasing the supply of affordable housing with developments at Old School Lane in Johnston and Tudor Place in Tiers Cross. After significant delays for reasons outside of our control, Phase 1 and 2 of the new development site Old School Lane was completed. Allocations have been made and in early 2024 people began moving in. Tudor Place completion is due early summer 2024.

The Choice Homes @ Pembrokeshire Allocations Policy has been reviewed and updated. The current policy was implemented 10 years ago and is not reflective of the current pressures we’re facing. Since the pandemic we have seen unprecedented numbers on the social housing register and significant increases in homeless presentations. The proposed changes aim to relieve some of the pressure on the housing sector and increase movement in the register, allowing for a more flexible and dynamic approach to allocating social housing. The new Allocations Policy has been approved by Cabinet and agreed with our RSL partners. Work will be done throughout 2024 in order to fully implement the new policy in 2025.

Whilst reducing the number of those in B&Bs has been difficult because of the chronic shortage of housing, the aim with the new allocations policy is for more dynamic and flexible allocations to be made.

Priority 3: Further strengthen Housing Support services

Strategic reviews have been completed on our VAWDASV and Older Persons’ services and are currently underway for our mental health services to ensure that eligibility criteria for the Housing Support Grant is being met. Efficient use of HSG will ensure that people have the right support at the right time and will prevent costlier interventions later down the line.

We have moved away from short-term, grant-funded support services to more long-term contract-based services with a longer term funding commitment, allowing for better planning and recruitment and retention of staff.

We have sourced and offered training for HSG-funded staff, including for conflict resolution and hoarding.

Whilst move on was paused during the pandemic, we are looking to restart this in 2024.

Priority 4: Work collaboratively to provide holistic, person-centred support with effective specialist interventions where necessary

Homeless and Housing Support Operational Group set up to ensure multi-agency oversight for the implementation of HSP Strategy and RRH Transition Plan, with input from PCC Housing, RSL partners, HSG-commissioned services, mental health services, drug and alcohol services, Youth Homelessness Teams, and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Amendments made to the documents used by Housing Officers in order to capture support needs at time of presentation for homeless customers, allowing for easier referrals made into the HSG Gateway and that the appropriate referrals are made at the right time. There is further scope to incorporate any support needs into the application form for Choice Homes @ Pembrokeshire following the review of the Allocations Policy. In doing so, this will identify those who are in need of support early, prior to engagement with homelessness services. Work on the new application form will be undertaken throughout 2024, with the aim of implementation of the new policy to be completed by 2025.

The conflict resolution service will be jointly funded by HSG and the Parenting Support Grant, which will make it available to those 14 and above, where HSG limits support to those 16 and above. This collaborative working will allow the support to be delivered to a wider range of service users with the aim of preventing youth homelessness.

As part of the White Paper on Homelessness, there is a strong emphasis on partnership working between all public services and the idea that homelessness is not just a housing issues. Recommendations in the White Paper, should they be implemented, include duties on other public bodies to identify risk of homelessness and refer to housing, with an expanded duty to co-operate. Aim of the White Paper is to strengthen the links between all public services in relation to homelessness prevention. In Pembrokeshire, there is more work to be done in relation to partnership working with Health and Social Care Services in order to develop a discharge protocol so that no-one is discharged without suitable accommodation. There has been some work done with HSG-funded service Integrated Housing Team to try and get a worker in the hospital. This will be part of the strategic review and how we can improve/strengthen the offer.

Collaboration between HSG and Housing teams and the Youth Service for a better data-driven system of early identifiers for youth homelessness.