To receive and consider the report of the Head of Housing, together with the appendices.
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from the Head of Housing. The Housing (Wales) Act 2014 placed an emphasis on prevention as did the Social Services and Well-Being Act. The Council has a duty to provide free advice, an assessment and to take steps to avoid a person becoming homeless.
Section 50 of the Act required that the Council undertook a review of its homelessness service every 4 years and to publish a strategy. A recent Wales Audit Office (WAO) study of homelessness services across Wales indicated that the Councils deals with crisis and should place more of an emphasis on prevention.
The current review of homelessness started in 2017 with meetings with other services and partners. However, these were not successful and a consultant was engaged to undertake the review. A series of workshops had been undertaken and the engagement had been far more successful. The review had identified a number of key findings as set out in paragraph 1.3 of the report.
The housing market in Powys is difficult in terms of providing sufficient affordable housing solutions. There is a need for partners to engage with the Council to provide support. In addition, the Council needs to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and others to ensure that the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) does not increase homelessness. The strategy sets out the steps to move to the new style of service which it is intended to be provided.
Question: What is the timescale where the Council has to act if someone is in danger of becoming homeless? |
Response: Under previous provisions the Council could work with a person if there was a threat to that person becoming homeless within the next 28 days. This timescale has now been extended to 56 days under the 2014 Act. The Council then has to respond if there is a threat of homelessness. In Quarter 1 (2018/19) there were 114 presentations of people under threat of becoming homeless. The total figure for 2017-18 was around 400. There are higher numbers of people presenting as under threat of homelessness in the north (Welshpool and Newtown) than in the south of the county. It is a 70 / 30 split. |
Question: How many open premises are kept for families on a day to day basis? How are people moved on to other premises? |
Response: There are 58 units of temporary accommodation at present run by the Council and others. The Council is seeking to extend this number, but also trying to keep people for a shorter time in temporary accommodation. However there are times where a stay can be longer for individuals due to their previous circumstances. |
Question: How does the Council deal with rent arrears? |
Response: The Council has procedures for dealing with the non-payment of rent including the possession of properties. Generally, the Council wants to work with families to get them through rent arrears. 3 Tenancy Support Officers have been appointed by the Council. Powys also has Housing Management and Options Officers who undertake a dual role of managing properties as well as preventing homelessness and rent arrears. The 2014 Act removed the right to social housing tenancy i.e. local authority or social housing and there is a duty which allows the Council to use the private rented sector. |
Question: How many evictions have there been this year? |
Response: The response is to be provided by the Service. (The response provided by the Service following the meeting is: 2015/16 – 8; 2016/17 – 12; 2017/18 – 8). |
Question: People renting from the private sector who might be losing their homes due to the end of their tenancy are being told that they have to become homeless before the Council will deal with them. Universal Credit (UC) is already causing problems for people due to the move from one system to another leading to a loss of benefits. How is partnership working going to be managed? |
Response: Officers can work with individuals within 56 days of their being threatened with homelessness. However, officers will also give advice before the 56 day timescale to avoid people triggering statutory services. Since the 2014 Act came into force there has been a 36% increase in people presenting to the Council in Year 1. The duty on the Council means that officers have a greater involvement in individual cases. The new system is far more bureaucratic and demands more from Council officers.
The Council has always worked in partnership but the review has drawn out other partners that the Council would not have been involved with previously e.g. Dyfed Powys Police in identifying those individuals sleeping on the street. The Service has yet to consider how partnership working is to be managed, possibly a group needs to be established to consider this. |
Question: Internal partnerships – who are these and how will we move forward with external partners? Universal Credit (UC) – how will this be dealt with as it will probably increase workload? With the move to staff working in Job Centres, will this put people off approaching the service? People living in caravans and permanently on caravan sites – how do we deal with this? |
Response: The initial work undertaken in the review led to poor levels of engagement across the Council. The workshops which were subsequently undertaken was a far better approach. Therefore, it was the initial approach by Housing to the review that was the issue. There is a need to establish a group to manage partnerships as well as a problem sleeper group.
Caravans – the service are aware of people living in caravans. However, individuals do not approach the service so there’s not much data available. If individuals are not living in suitable accommodation they should be encouraged to approach the service.
DWP and benefits – social housing tenants will receive their rent payments as part of their benefits so hopefully there will not be a great increase in demand on the housing service. There is also an ability for the DWP to make assisted benefits payments direct to the Council which includes rent arrears. Housing Officers are currently shadowing officers in the DWP to understand about the process for claimants for UC. Assisted payments are only temporary arrangements as individuals are responsible for their own money. There is an expectation that rent arrears will go up initially but then reduce. A streamlined arrears process is being developed which emphasises the importance of personal contact with tenants in arrears at an early stage. Tenant Support Officers can also give advice on benefits to individuals. UC is only accessible online and the housing service is looking at where drop in centres could be located as well as mobile working for staff to assist individuals. The difficulty for individuals is if they put in a claim they could be without money for 5 weeks as payments are made monthly. However rents are due weekly. |
Question: Will it be the local authority leading the group? |
Response: It will be the housing service who would take a lead on this. |
Question: UC may have an impact on tenants. Where are the 3 support workers based? The Council is working with DWP, will it also work with Citizens’ Advice and independent advice bureaux in the county? |
Response: Shelter produced its report in March 2017. The housing service has made improvements since that time as issues were identified and steps taken to deal with them e.g. duty officers to take calls and making of offices more public facing. The changes also include individuals able to go to libraries to contact the housing service.
Due to the higher demand 1 officer is located in Welshpool, 1 in Newtown and 1 covering the Brecknockshire and Radnorshire areas. A small drop in centre is to be opened in Machynlleth. The service also works closely with the Council’s Money and Advice Service. |
Question: Caravan sites – some people live in static caravans. However, they have to vacate these for a few months in a year and then they are housed by the Council. However there are instances where they have homes elsewhere in the country. |
Response: The Council’s housing allocation scheme is being reviewed. This will include a review of caravan accommodation as well as local connection criteria. It is the intention for scrutiny to consider this. |
Question: What is the relationship with The Wallich (homelessness charity) and how is this managed? |
Response: The Wallich manages a property in Newtown. There are regular meetings with the organisation about residents and how they can be moved on to other accommodation. The Wallich is also a floating support provider. |
Question: What is the service doing about County Lines and Cuckooing? There is a good project in Wrexham which the Council should explore relating to vulnerable young people and accommodation. |
Response: The service is aware of these issues and is working with the police |
Question: In terms of local strategic context and the Dyfi Valley being a predominantly Welsh Language area, housing officers need a better understanding of these areas and Welsh Language speaking families not being able to access housing. Is the support officer to be based at Machynlleth Welsh speaking? |
Response: No. |
Question: Page 27 – Section 60 duty – access to free advice – Shelter identified that individuals had to spend money by using their mobile phones to contact the service. |
Response: The service accepted that there was no Freephone number. Once contact had been made the Council will ring the individual back. The Portfolio Holder reported that the Council is looking to phase out its telephone numbers where there is a cost and to provide more Freephone numbers. |
Question: What are the numbers of individuals made homeless from the private rented sector? |
Response: The 2014 Act allows the Council to place individuals in the private rented sector. The Council is looking at whether to establish a social lettings agency where the Council would manage properties for landlords. This could lead to higher standards. Two Social Lettings Officers have been appointed to look at this covering north and south Powys. The Council is doing more work with the private sector but accept that this can lead to more people presenting. It will take time to develop this type of service as it would mean that landlords would have to pay the Council to manage these properties in the long run. |
Question: Redesign of low demand older persons’ accommodation and develop more single persons’ accommodation. This might not work if younger people move into areas with more elderly persons. |
Response: Some older persons’ accommodation is undesignated and these will be let sensitively. Young people’s accommodation is challenging for the Council. Building patterns are focussed on family houses, but the pattern in Powys is showing the need for smaller houses and more single accommodation. The Council is therefore looking at the provision of single person accommodation. |
Question: Food banks and partnerships. Food banks can provide good intelligence to the Council about people in need and food banks should be included in partnership arrangements. Under UC, money goes into one household bank account. How do we deal with this in terms of women’s and men’s refuges where people have been subject to domestic abuse? |
Response: The rules for UC are set nationally. A case can be made to the DWP but unlikely to be successful. If a person turns up at a refuge hopefully the managing partner will assist them with their benefits so that they can receive their benefits rather than their abusive partner. Refuges are supported tenancies so support providers will work with individuals. |
Question: In the statistics the numbers threatened with homelessness has gone down but the number of cases has gone up – why is this? |
Response: The 2014 Act gives the Council various duties. Section 66 (prevention of homelessness), Section 73 (new assessment), Section 75 (final duty). Individuals can go out of the system and come back in at various points in the higher sections. There is a need to drill down into the figures so that they can be understood. Also the statistics from the former procedures and the new act are not directly comparable. |
Question: Are there specific trends in Powys? |
Response: Relationship breakdowns and the loss of private rented accommodation are the two main reasons for homelessness. However prevention work is working and there are fewer individuals that the Council is having to provide a full homelessness duty for. |
Question: If a person cannot pay their rent, can a claim be made to the DWP for a short period to pay rent to the landlord directly? |
Response: In the private rented sector, if a landlord goes to court for possession the court must grant it. In addition, a private tenancy is only safe for 6 months. The housing market in Powys does show a significant difference between house prices and rents in the county. |
Question: Where will the Support Officer be placed in Welshpool |
Response: The officer will be located at the housing service office. |
Question: UC will cause an explosion in the number of evictions. People are vulnerable and managed payments are only for the short term. |
Response: Staff have been well trained in dealing with managed payments. Work is being undertaken with DWP to ensure that managed payments are paid for as long as possible but they are hampered by the rules within which they have to work. |
Question: Some people just cannot get a bank account which is needed for UC. Where do they go? |
Response: The Housing Service is working with credit unions and building societies to try and resolve these issues. It will also mean that officers will need more intense working with individuals. |
Question: Voids are not being put back on the market quickly enough due to problems with HOWPS |
Response: Work is being undertaken with HOWPS to get voids sorted out more quickly. |
Question: Drugs problems on estates and evictions form Council properties for selling drugs. Is the department going to work within regulations and the law in future? |
Response: The Service always works within regulations and the law. |
Question: UC pays individuals monthly. Why does the Council not change from weekly rents to monthly rents? |
Response: Charging of weekly rents is part of the tenancy agreement at present. The council charges for 48 out of 52 weeks with 4 “rent free” weeks. However, the rent levied is for 52 weeks but it is paid over 48 weeks rather than 52. The Housing Service is considering ending the practice of providing “rent free” weeks. It is an interesting idea to charge monthly in advance and the service will consider this. Individuals do have the option currently to pay weekly or monthly. Some individuals still get paid weekly. It will be considered for inclusion in the rent charges report in February 2019. |
Question: The needs to use computer systems for UC is causing difficulties for individuals who have difficulty reading and writing let alone having any IT skills. What is being done with bad landlords especially where there are problems in accommodation such as damp, poor heating. Food banks are good points of contact for housing officers. There is a block of flats in Ystradgynlais with a number of empty units due to the “bedroom tax”. |
Response: Poor landlords – the private sector team work to convince landlords to improve the properties otherwise court action can be taken. Fuel poverty – the Council did use the NEST and ECOFLEX schemes but is now moving to the ECO2 system to assist with fuel poverty. A consultation will be undertaken with the community regarding the best use for the block of flats in Ystradgynlais. Currently they are 2 bedroom flats and it may be better to have single person accommodation. |
Question: People with learning difficulties or literacy problems cannot use IT systems. Individuals can be contacted by the service within 4 days – is this the maximum, especially if individuals are desperate for support? Does the Service work with just Powys Teaching Local Health Board or other Health Boards as well? |
Response: Learning difficulties / literacy problems – individuals could be placed on managed payments which are renewed. The 5 officers mentioned earlier are funded from a mixture of the Housing Revenue Account and from the General Account with specific funding having come from Welsh Government. A contract for a new IT system has been signed which should be in place by April 2019. It is the intention to improve the information available to the public on the Council’s website. In relation to the 4 days this came from the Shelter report. A 4 day response would be for general advice and not emergencies. |
Question: With the school modernisation programme is the Housing Service considering the land where these redundant buildings are located for housing. |
Response: The service is looking at such land for possible projects. |
Question: Can more detailed timescales be included in the action plan rather than short term / long term outcomes. |
Response: Yes. |
Scrutiny Observations to the Cabinet:
Supporting documents: