Agenda item

To receive an update on key areas of work within the Support and Safeguarding Executive Portfolio over the last twelve months.

The Committee received a report summarising the Council’s work during the past twelve months in the functions which were encompassed within the Support and Safeguarding Executive Portfolio.  The portfolio covered a number of areas including voluntary sector and community partnerships, grant schemes, community safety, safeguarding, equalities, housing solutions and family support.

During the course of the year, a number of additional grants schemes had been made available including the Covid-19 scheme, which made grants of up to £25,000 available to local voluntary and community groups, and the Ward Councillor Grants, which provide ward councillors with £1,000 which could be used to provide grants of up to £500 to community initiatives within their wards.  The Council had received £40,922 from DEFRA to help alleviate local hardship which had subsequently been used to support the work of local foodbanks.

A Poverty Working Group had been established with representation from a wide range of organisations including Councillors, the Clinical Commissioning Group and the voluntary and community sector.  Initial work had focused on working with partners to provide assistance to local residents including a computers for schools scheme and a hardship fund which was administered by Citizens Advice Surrey Heath.   A Poverty Summit had been scheduled for Monday 29^th March and an invitation had been sent to all councillors.  It was agreed that a recording would be made available for those who were unable to attend.

In 2020, 119 Disabled Facilities Grants had been made to local residents who needed adaptations to be made to their homes to meet their changing needs.  The maximum grant available was £30,000 and independent occupational health advisors helped to assess bids and work with applicants to ensure that improvement schemes met their needs.  The grants were used to pay for a range of improvements including the installation of stair lifts, adaptations to bathrooms and addressing access issues. 

Between 1^st January 2020 and 31^st December 2020, the Housing Solutions Team had received 487 approaches from households who were either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.  Of these 214 were either already homeless or were at risk of being homes within 56 days of their approach to the Council, compared to 315 in the same period the previous year, a reduction attributed to the eviction ban put in place by the Government as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The removal of the eviction ban in May was expected to increase levels of homelessness however it was not possible at this stage to gauge the full impacts. 

At the start of the pandemic, 31 individuals were identified as sleeping rough in the Borough and were accommodated.  At the end of the first lockdown restrictions, 18 had moved into settled accommodation, 2 had refused offers of alternative accommodation and 11 placements had ended due to abandonment, non-engagement, non-payment of rent or anti-social behaviour.

The Council had bought Connaught Court, a 10 bed unit, to provide accommodation for up to two years for single homeless people for up to two years and a 5/6 bed property had been bought to provide Night Stop accommodation via the Hope Hub.  The Council worked closely with the Hope Hub and other specialist charities to support those residents who were sleeping rough, particularly those with more complex needs.  It was requested that officers be made aware of any people who were sleeping rough so that support could be provided.

Difficulties in identifying suitable accommodation had slowed the Council’s commitment to rehoming 10 refugee families through the UK Resettlement Scheme.  To date, five families had been rehomed and all were reported to have settled well into their new communities.  The suspension of services during the pandemic had impacted on the families particularly with the suspension of English language classes and the move to home schooling.  It was agreed that a briefing on the programme would be provided to members.

The Committee was informed that the roll out of community noticeboards was taking place on a phased basis and an update would be provided outside the meeting.

The Committee noted the report.