West Lancashire Borough Council wants your views on new Homelessness & Rough Sleepers Strategy
- Council launches Homelessness & Rough sleepers Strategy consultation
- Objectives of the strategy are preventing, relieving, and ending homelessness
- Council aims to develop strategies collaboratively to combat homelessness effectively
West Lancashire Borough Council has taken further steps towards addressing homelessness within the community by creating a new Homelessness & Rough Sleepers Strategy.
The Strategy is now open for consultation, and we are particularly interested in hearing the views of those who have experienced homelessness themselves and organisations who support homeless people.
Those wishing to take part in the consultation can access it here.
Homelessness can take many forms, and whilst people often associate homelessness with those sleeping on the streets, here in West Lancashire, rough sleepers make up a very small minority of homeless households.
The Homelessness & Rough Sleepers Strategy provides an opportunity for the Council to analyse recent homelessness trends and establish objectives to prevent and tackle homelessness over the next five years.
To inform the strategy, the Council carried out a homelessness review, looking at current and future levels of homelessness. This showed that in line with national trends homelessness is increasing, as are the number of people needing temporary accommodation whilst we support them to find a home. At the same time, demand for social housing is increasing, as is the proportion of applicants experiencing a higher level of housing need, with 20% of applicants now in the High Priority Category compared to 10% in 2018.
Councillor Nicola Pryce-Roberts, Lead Member for Housing, emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts in tackling homelessness: "Delivering a high-quality service to those facing homelessness is our priority and we will make sure that all those who need our help are given the advice and support they require.
"To achieve our vision and stop the cycle of homelessness, we will continue to work collaboratively with our partners, seek out funding opportunities and develop new and innovative solutions to prevent, relieve and end homelessness."
The consultation will include the actions and tasks that the Council needs to take to achieve the set objectives between 2024 to 2029.
Residents of West Lancashire are encouraged to participate in the consultation by sharing their experiences, perspectives, and ideas with West Lancashire Borough Council to help us tackle homelessness together.
By fostering a collaborative approach, the Council aims to make meaningful strides towards ending homelessness in the Borough.
The consultation will be open until 4 June 2024.
