Hastings Homelessness Review 2015 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 How did we do our Homelessness Review? ....................................................... 3 Part 1: National Context .......................................................................................... 4 Part 2: Homelessness in Hastings .......................................................................... 8 Main reason for loss of last settled home .......................................................... 10 Reason for Priority Need ................................................................................... 11 Priority Need acceptances by Household Type ................................................ 12 Priority Need Acceptances by Age .................................................................... 14 Priority Need Acceptances by Ethnicity ............................................................. 16 Gypsies and Travellers ..................................................................................... 17 Asylum seekers ................................................................................................. 18 International Migration ....................................................................................... 18 Temporary Accommodation .............................................................................. 21 Rough Sleepers ................................................................................................ 22 Domestic Abuse ................................................................................................ 23 Private Rented Sector ....................................................................................... 24 Home Ownership .............................................................................................. 27 Social Housing .................................................................................................. 29 Possessions ...................................................................................................... 35 Supported Accommodation ............................................................................... 35 Affordable Housing ............................................................................................ 37 Employment & Benefits ..................................................................................... 39 Housing Benefit ................................................................................................. 41 Health Inequalities ............................................................................................. 42 Support Needs .................................................................................................. 43 Local strategic links ........................................................................................... 49 Likely future levels of homelessness ................................................................. 53 Part 3: Review of Hastings & St Leonards Homelessness Strategy 2013-2015 ... 55 Key Successes.................................................................................................. 55 Achieving the priorities of the Strategy .............................................................. 55 Strategic Priority 1: Prevent and minimise homelessness ................................. 56 Strategic Priority 2: Improve access to good quality, well managed accommodation in the private rented sector ..................................................... 66 Strategic Priority 3: Ensure access to appropriate, personalised and accurate housing advice and information......................................................................... 68 Summary of Homelessness Strategy 2013-2015 .............................................. 70 Part 4: Consultation to help shape the new strategy............................................. 71 Consultation with Partners – July 2015 ............................................................. 71 Consultation with Home Works Clients – 2015 ................................................. 83 Part 5: Moving Forward ........................................................................................ 96 Part 6: Resources ................................................................................................. 98 Appendix A – Registered Providers’ Welfare Reform Updates ........................... 101 Appendix B – Homelessness Strategy 2013-2015 Progress Update – May 2015 ............................................................................................................................ 103 Appendix C – Housing Options Review of P1E Data 2014/15 ............................ 133 Appendix D – Glossary of Terms ........................................................................ 147 Hastings Homelessness Review 2015 Page 2 Introduction In accordance with the Homelessness Act 2002, every Local Authority is required to publish a Homelessness Strategy at least every five years, which is informed by a Homelessness Review. The current Hastings and St Leonards Homelessness Strategy 2013-2015 evidences the positive changes that can be affected through a local partnership approach to homelessness. In a period of unprecedented change with regards to housing legislation and welfare reform, the Strategy has supported the improved quality and management of homes in the private rented sector, greater access to housing advice and information and has enabled homelessness to be kept to a minimum. However, the ongoing changes resultant from the Localism Act 2011 and the Welfare Reform Act 2012 combined with new reforms proposed under the Government’s Budget 2015 and changes to homelessness legislation mean that further pressures are forecast for the housing sector. As there will be a direct impact on homelessness within Hastings it is important that there is a Homelessness Strategy in place that takes account of these changes and provides a solid base from which to tackle the challenges that will be presented. Therefore, we have carried out a new Homelessness Review, which will inform the development of a new Homelessness Strategy for the borough of Hastings. How did we do our Homelessness Review? A review of key changes to housing legislation and welfare reforms An analysis of a wide range of data to better understand homelessness in Hastings (as the last Review was carried out in 2012, there is some statistical data that is produced nationally, which has not been updated, for example information drawn from the Census 2011) An evaluation of the 2013-2015 Homelessness Strategy Consultation with a wide range of partners, including statutory bodies, voluntary groups and support agencies Consultation with users of the Home Works floating housing support service The review contains 6 parts: Part 1: National Context Part 2: Homelessness in Hastings Part 3: Review of Homelessness Strategy 2008-2013 Part 4: Summary of Consultation Part 5: Moving Forward Part 6: Resources Hastings Homelessness Review 2015 Page 3 Part 1: National Context National housing policy has undergone significant change in recent years with the adoption of the Localism Act 2011 and the Welfare Reform Act 2012, and the publication of the Government’s new Housing Strategy in 2011. Key changes include: Increasing the age threshold from 25 to 35 for people able to claim one bedroom Local Housing Allowance Housing Benefit reductions for social housing tenants under 60 years of age who are not fully occupying their home (known as the Bedroom Tax) The introduction of a Benefit Cap, which limits the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can receive – any amount over the cap being deducted from the housing element The implementation of Universal Credit, due to be fully rolled out by 2017, which introduces a new single monthly payment for people in work or out of work Local Authorities being able to fully discharge a duty to accommodate a homeless household with an offer of private rented sector accommodation Registered Providers being able to offer flexible/fixed term tenancies in place of lifetime tenancies Local Authorities having greater flexibility in how their structure their social housing allocation schemes The abolition of regional strategies, which included housing targets for areas According to a report by the Centre for Regional Economic Research (Beatty & Fothergill 2013), Hastings was the 11th most impacted Local Authority by the welfare reforms that were underway in 2013. At a local level, a survey conducted by Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (2015) showed that over half of the 100 clients surveyed had been impacted by reforms that have already taken place to the benefit system and over one in four of those surveyed had to regularly borrow money to pay for basic essentials, such as food, fuel and housing. Moving forward, in the Government’s July Budget 2015, the Chancellor set out a range of proposals which, if implemented, will have far reaching housing and welfare implications, including plans to: Freeze working-age benefits, including tax credits and the Local Housing Allowance, for 4 years from 2016/17 to 2019/20 Reduce social housing rents by 1% for 4 years Reduce the household benefit cap outside of London from £26,000 to £20,000 (£23,000 in London) Limit support through Child Tax Credit to 2 children for children born from April 2017 Hastings Homelessness Review 2015 Page 4