12. Appendix 2 - Homelessness Review

12. Appendix 2 - Homelessness Review

The Housing Act 2002 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 place a requirement on local housing authorities to undertake a review of homelessness in their area, leading to the formulation and publication of their Homelessness Strategy. The Homelessness Reduction Act also places a duty on local authorities to involve partners in this process.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance 2018 gives clear guidance of what should be considered in the Homelessness Review and included within the Strategy. In particular the Code of Guidance states that a Homelessness Review should set out:

• The extent & risk of homelessness, now & in the future
• What is being done, by whom
• What resources are available for homelessness prevention & relief

The Code of Guidance also requires that a Homelessness Strategy should:

• Make links to the factors that contribute to homelessness, such as the economy, health, wellbeing etc.
• Be consistent with other local strategies and policies
• Have corporate buy-in across the local authority
• Be realistic, involving partners who will be involved in its implementation
• Include an Action Plan to show how the objectives will be achieved
• Be monitored & reviewed regularly

This Homelessness Review has been undertaken in 2018 in order to inform the focus of Arun’s Housing & Homelessness Strategy 2019 - 2021.

12.1 Current Homelessness in Arun

In reviewing the current homelessness position in Arun, we have considered:

• The homelessness data collected by Arun District Council, and reported to the government via P1E and hclic
• Rough sleeping data collected locally
• Trends and cohorts of homeless clients
• The reported main causes of homelessness in Arun
• The impact of other external factors on homelessness

12.2 Homelessness Data

Homelessness statistics from local authorities has changed with effect from April 2018. Prior to the current financial year, homelessness data was collated by each local housing authority and submitted to central government on a quarterly basis via the P1E system. P1E data collection involved aggregated data from each housing authority on the number of people who had sought advice & assistance from the Council for their homelessness, recording the household make-up, age and nationality profile of applicants as well as recording the outcome of the homelessness decision-making process. Councils were not required to provide information on the longer term accommodation outcomes for those homeless applicants and it was not possible to identify the personal data of the individual clients. The limited range of the data collection made it difficult for Councils or for central government to report on the homelessness picture across the country or to analyse the activities that brought effective solutions.

In order to address these reporting inadequacies the Ministry has overhauled its homelessness statistics collection. The new ‘hclic’ data collection became obligatory from April 2018. It has been set up to receive household-level data rather than aggregated local authority-level data. It covers a broader range of households, including all those who receive homelessness assistance from their local authority rather than focusing primarily on the homeless households to whom authorities had been obliged to assist under the statutory homeless definition.

The data follows the outcomes for individual applicants from quarter to quarter, with individual reference numbers and sufficient personal information to enable data analysts to identify the progression of homeless households, with the aim to understand the causes of their homelessness and the solutions which bring about a resolution.

The MHCLG has provided assistance to local authorities to ensure that the collection, storage and reporting of this homelessness data comply with the new stringent legislative requirements of the General Data Protection Requirements (GDPR). Clients are provided with Privacy Notices which explain the personal & sensitive data that will be collected, with whom it will be shared, and the legislative and/or policy basis on which the data is collected, retained, shared and destroyed. Arun meets the GDPR requirements in its management of homelessness data.

The new hclic data collection has been shaped by the Homelessness Reduction Act and will collect data to enable the effects of the Act to be monitored. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) intends to review the impact of the homelessness legislation after 2 years from its implementation. Prior to that, organisations representing local authorities and housing organisations, such as the Local Government Association (LGA); the District Councils’ Network (DCN) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), are gathering anecdotal information from their member organisations on the challenges being experienced so far as a result of the legislative changes.

For the purposes of this Homelessness Review, Arun P1E data has been analysed at a local level, considering the homelessness data of households who have approached the Council’s Housing Options team for housing advice and assistance and/or to make a homelessness application during the three financial years prior to the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act (2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18).

The data below shows that homelessness demand for those three years has remained fairly constant.

Homelessness decisions

Homeless decisions*	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Not homeless	347	466	530
Not eligible	7	4	4
Non Priority	73	66	79
Intentional	31	19	25
Accepted duty	229	220	204
Total decisions made	774	775	742

*source: P1E, MHCLG

This P1E data can provide the nationality of the households in each category of homelessness decision:

P1E data on nationality of the households in each category of homelessness decision

Homeless decisions by nationality UK/EEA*	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Not homeless	347 301 UK / 46 EEA	466 412 UK / 54 EEA	430 396 UK / 34 EEA
Not eligible	7 1 UK / 6 EEA 4	4 0 UK / 4 EEA	4 2 UK / 2 EEA
Non Priority	73 70 UK / 3 EEA	66 62 UK / 4 EEA	79 74 UK / 5 EEA
Intentional	31 29 UK / 2 EEA	19 18 UK / 1 EEA	25 22 UK / 3 EEA
Accepted duty	229 208 UK / 21 EEA	220 198 UK / 22 EEA	204 192 UK / 12 EEA
Total decisions made	687 609 UK / 78 EEA	775 690 UK / 85 EEA	742 686 UK / 56 EEA (0.01 per cent)

*source: P1E, MHCLG

Of those households where Arun accepted the main homelessness duty, the P1E data provides detail on the number of households with dependent children (or pregnant) and the singles/couples without dependent children:

The number of households with dependent children (or pregnant) and the singles/couples without dependent children

Acceptances by household type*	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Households with dependent children (or pregnant)	142	160	136
Singles/couples with no dependent children	87	60	68
Total acceptances	229	220	204

*source: P1E, MHCLG

12.3 Rough Sleeping Data

In addition to the households who make a formal application to the Council for housing advice and assistance there is also a number of visible street homeless individuals in Arun.

For the purposes of this homelessness review, Arun’s rough sleeping data has been considered. This data is collected and recorded in a number of ways.

An annual rough sleeper count or estimate is undertaken in Arun each autumn, in compliance with the guidance provided for local authorities by Homeless Link. Local authorities are required to undertake the count or estimate on a date between September and December each year. Councils may choose to obtain their rough sleeper figure by an evidence-based estimate; a count of visible rough sleeping; or an estimate including a hot-spot count.

The purposes of collecting the annual rough sleeping figure are: to allow local authorities to track progress in addressing street homelessness; to consider whether current measures are effective in tackling rough sleeping; and to assess whether new approaches may be needed. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) produces a statistical release based on the national rough sleeper count data each year.

An evidence-based estimate is gathered in Arun each autumn, undertaken by internal Arun departments and the external organisations which work in partnership with Housing and Community Safety teams on a year-round basis to address rough sleeping in the district, through the Arun Street Community MARAC. In autumn 2017, the estimate was also combined with a hot-spot count undertaken at a number of known rough-sleeping locations in Bognor Regis, Littlehampton & Arundel.

The 13 district and borough councils across West & East Sussex all undertake their annual rough sleeper count/estimate on the same date as each other, to provide consistency for data comparison (same weather conditions and other external factors) and to avoid double-counting of transient rough sleepers. The rough sleeper estimate/count for 2018 is due to take place on the night of 6/7 November 2018.

Although the rough sleeper estimate data reported annually to Homeless Link by Arun since 2012 provides evidence of a significant number of rough sleepers in the district, nonetheless the data reflects the proactive frontline work undertaken via the MARAC which has allowed partners to maintain the recorded number of rough sleepers at a fairly stable level whilst significant increases have been reported by many other local authorities across England.

The rough sleeper data for Arun since 2012 is as follows:

Rough sleeper data for Arun since 2012

Year	No. of rough sleepers	Gender: Male Female N/K or prefer not to say	Nationality: UK/EU national Non-EU national N/K or prefer not to say	Age range: Under 18 18-25 Over 25 N/K or prefer not to say
2012	24	19 Male 5 Female	20 - UK 4 - EU national	Age data not collected prior to 2015
2013	18	14 Male 4 Female	13 - UK 5 - EU national	Age data not collected prior to 2015
2014	13	9 Male 4 Female	10 - UK 3 - EU national	Age data not collected prior to 2015
2015	15	11 Male 4 Female	11 - UK 2 - EU national 2 - Not known	0 - under 18 1 - 18 to 25 12 - over 25 2 – Not known
2016	19	14 Male 5 Female	16 - UK 3 - EU national	0 - under 18 3 - 18 to 25 15 - over 25 1 – Not known
2017	17	14 Male 3 Female	16 - UK 1 - EU national (0.06 per cent)	0 - under 18 1 - 18 to 25 16 - over 25

*source: Arun Rough Sleeper count data, ADC

12.4 Arun Street Community Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)

Arun Street Community MARAC was established in October 2015. It meets monthly to discuss the operational plans for identified members of the Arun Street Community.

The MARAC involves frontline staff from a range of partner organisations, which include: Sussex Police; Police Integrated Officer Managers (IOM); probation services from the National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC); Adult Social Care; Mental Health service; Stonepillow; Turning Tides (formerly Worthing Churches Homeless Project); the Salvation Army; as well as Officers from the Council’s homelessness, community safety and anti-social behaviour teams.

The clients who are discussed at the MARAC include those who are known to undertake some or all of their lives on the streets and who are at risk of one or more of the following factors:

• Rough sleeping
• Crime
• Anti-social behaviour
• Alcohol dependence
• Drugs or other substance dependence
• Physical health issues
• Mental health issues

The risk factors are assessed using a ‘RAG’ traffic light system, using the expertise of the MARAC specialist partners to apply a Red, Amber or Green category to each of the risk factors for every client. Clients for whom there is one or more Red risk factor are discussed in full detail at each meeting, with a lead agency identified to coordinate actions relating to that client. The lead agency may arrange specific case meetings in between the monthly meetings if necessary. Short-term, medium-term and longer-term objectives are determined for these MARAC clients, with agreed actions which are reviewed each month.

The Red, Amber & Green determinants are also reviewed on a regular basis. Risks may increase or reduce dependent upon changes in the client’s circumstances. The data regarding clients for whom all risk factors are reduced to Green may be archived, but may be brought back to the MARAC if their street community activity leads to further concerns.

The MARAC meetings for the month of June for the last three years (in 2016, 2017 and 2018) focussed on the following number of Street Community clients. The number at risk of rough sleeping is shown in Red, Amber or Green on the table below. The Red criterion is applied when the client is known to be sleeping rough according to the Homeless Link definition:

‘People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments).’

Arun Street Community MARAC

	2016	2017	2018
Bognor Regis (& West of District) with risk of rough sleeping assessed as Red, Amber or Green	11 clients Red – 5 Amber – 1 Green – 5	8 clients Red – 3 Amber – 4 Green - 1	31 clients Red – 6 (19 per cent) Amber - 12 Green - 13
Littlehampton (& East of District)	15 clients Red - 4 Amber - 3 Green - 8	13 clients Red – 3 Amber – 4 Green - 6	25 clients Red – 9 (36 per cent) Amber – 5 Green - 11
Snapshot TOTAL for the whole District (in June each year)	26 clients Red – 9 Amber – 4 Green - 13	21 clients Red – 6 Amber – 8 Green - 7	56 clients Red – 15 (27 per cent) Amber – 17 Green - 24

*Source: Community Services MARAC data, ADC

Therefore the snapshot total of clients in Arun in the Red category (known to be rough sleeping) during the month of June each year was:

• 9 clients - in June 2016;
• 6 clients - in June 2017;
• 15 clients (27 per cent) - in June 2018

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is a further measure of rough sleeping in the district. SWEP involves voluntary measures to provide additional protection for rough sleepers during inclement weather. There are currently no statutory protections for people sleeping rough in England during severe weather. The provision of shelter is not a statutory duty, even when conditions are life-threatening. However, there is a humanitarian obligation on local authorities to do all they can to prevent deaths on the streets, and for their partners and the public to support these efforts.

The SWEP guidance is provided for local authorities by Homeless Link. Arun complies with this advice to make available additional support for rough sleepers during the winter months. Through SWEP, Arun aims to prevent excess winter deaths. But the Council also takes the opportunity to work through its partners to engage with SWEP clients, particularly the ‘entrenched’ rough sleepers, in order to end their homelessness on a more permanent basis.

The SWEP guidance for local authorities is provided by Homeless Link and has two main aims:

• To ensure that no one dies on the streets during severe weather;
• To ensure that every effort is made to engage individuals with support services during the winter months

The guidance includes sharing good practice examples from other areas, and covers matters such as risk management, staffing and effective partnership-working. It also helps local authorities with a definition of ‘severe weather’. Local authorities are advised to proactively identify any weather that could increase the risk of serious harm to people sleeping rough and put measures in place to minimise this. This includes extreme cold, wind and rain.

In many local authorities, SWEP provision is been triggered when the temperature has been forecast at zero degrees or below for three days. In Arun, a common sense approach has been taken, providing SWEP as soon as there is an indication of cold weather, rather than waiting for a three-day forecast.

In Arun, the SWEP criteria are agreed at the start of each winter by the Housing team and their SWEP provider, Stonepillow, so that there is a clear understanding of when SWEP should be operational.

Arun’s SWEP has been in operation during the last 6 winters since 2012/13 at the Glenlogie basement, in Clarence Road, Bognor Regis. Since 2013/14 SWEP has been provided alongside and in addition to Stonepillow’s year-round night hostel provision at Glenlogie.

The growth in demand for SWEP during the winter of 2016/17 led to new partnership discussions between Arun, Stonepillow and the neighbouring Roman Catholic Church, in preparation for the SWEP arrangements for the winter of 2017/18.

As a result, additional SWEP bed spaces were made available in 2017/18 at the church hall of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, adjacent to Glenlogie in Clarence Road, Bognor Regis. The church hall was made available as an overspill facility for SWEP clients. Clients continued to use the bathroom, laundry and dining facilities in Glenlogie but would bed-down in the church hall after the evening events had concluded in the hall. They were always accompanied by an appropriate ratio of Stonepillow’s overnight staff.

The cost of SWEP provision has been negotiated between Arun & Stonepillow on an annual basis, based upon the additional costs of staffing that would be incurred by Stonepillow in order to provide SWEP.

The increase in SWEP charges between 2016/17 and 2017/18 were a result of the changes in employment legislation and wage requirements. The number of staff was doubled in 2017/18 on the nights when the number of SWEP clients would require additional staff to be based in the church hall.

SWEP data

	Winter 2013/14	Winter 2014/15	Winter 2015/16	Winter 2016/17	Winter 2017/18
Total no. of SWEP nights provided	0 [mild winter]	8	17	19	29 [18 without overflow in church hall; 11 with overflow in church hall]
Total clients assisted by SWEP	0	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	47
… number of female clients	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	5
… number of under 18 years	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	0
… number of under 25s	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	0
… EU & not eligible for stat assistance	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	17
… EU and eligible for statutory assistance	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	1
… moved to stable accomm. after SWEP	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	Data not collected prior to 2017/18	13
Cost of SWEP per night	£70	£76.50	£78.22	£94.10	£192.26 [without overflow - if less than 6 SWEP clients] £431.04 [with overflow - if 6 or more SWEP clients]
TOTAL SWEP cost for each Winter	0	£612	£1595.69	£1787.90	£8202.12 [18 x £192.26 = £3460.68 11 x £431.04 = £4741.44]

*Source: Arun SWEP data, Stonepillow

12.5 Homelessness trends & cohorts

The data from statistics reported via P1E for the three years leading up to the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act gives an overview of the homelessness trends for the district:

Homelessness trends

Homeless decisions*	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Not homeless	347	466	530
Not eligible	7	4	4
Non Priority	73	66	79
Intentional	31	19	25
Accepted duty	229	220	204
Total decisions made	774	775	742

*source: P1E, MHCLG

• Arun accepted a ‘main’ homelessness duty for approximately one third of households who approached the Council as homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days
• But a growing percentage, over 50%, were found to be not-homeless after the Housing team carried out an early intervention or prevention activity
• Most households who were found to be in Priority Need for housing were households with dependent children or a pregnancy
• Although there was a significant minority of Priority Need decisions for singles/couples without dependent children, for reasons of age, physical or mental health or other vulnerabilities
• A minority of homelessness applications were from non-UK households, and less than 10% of homeless acceptances were to EEA households

The rough sleeping data provides insight into the cohorts who are either sleeping out, or are part of the wider street community or making use of services aimed at the single homeless and vulnerably housed:

• There are very few young adults under the age of 25 found to be sleeping rough in the district
• However, there is a significant minority of female rough sleepers or members of the street community who may be particularly vulnerable
• A minority of rough sleepers are non-UK nationals

The experiences of Arun’s partner organisations also help us to understand the homelessness picture in Arun:

• The Salvation Army weekly breakfast club in Bognor Regis provides meals, clothing and other practical assistance for a significant number of non-UK nationals who may not be homeless but may be accommodated in shared housing (Houses in Multiple Occupation) or vulnerably housed in the horticulture industry in the district
• Stonepillow reported approximately one third of SWEP clients in the winter of 2017/18 were non-UK clients who did not have recourse to public funds
• Turning Tides (formerly Worthing Churches Homeless Project) assists a significant number of female clients on a regular basis at their Littlehampton hub. They organise women-only support groups and have created links with Amber House for women who may be at risk of domestic abuse

13. The causes of homelessness

Becoming homeless is often the result of several adverse life events occurring within a short period, combined with insufficient means to maintain or obtain accommodation and a lack of adequate or available support.

This homelessness review considers the various causes and contributory factors of homelessness in order to inform the objectives of Arun’s Housing & Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan.

13.1 The main causes of homelessness in Arun:

The two main reported causes of homelessness for clients who approach Arun district Council for assistance are:

• Eviction by parents, family or friends
• Section 21 Notice served by private landlord

During the last 2 years the number of approaches to Arun for these reasons was as follows:

Number of approaches to Arun 2016/17

	Q1 2016/17 (April-June)	Q2 2016/17 (July to Sept)	Q3 2016/17 (Oct to Dec)	Q4 2016/17 (Jan to March)	Total 2016/17
Homeless duty accepted for those evicted by parent/ family/ friends*	17	13	9	28	67
Homeless duty accepted for those served with Section 21 Notice by L/L*	21	25	29	19	94
Out of total homeless presentations*	211	183	194	187	775

*source: P1E, MHCLG

Number of approaches to Arun 2017/18

	Q1 2017/18 (April-June)	Q2 2017/18 (July to Sept)	Q3 2017/18 (Oct to Dec)	Q4 2017/18 (Jan to March)	Total 2017/18
Homeless duty accepted for those evicted by parent/ family/ friends*	11	20	13	13	57
Homeless duty accepted for those served with Section 21 Notice by L/L*	20	19	23	19	81
Out of total homeless presentations*	174	201	173	194	742

*source: P1E, MHCLG

14. The impact of external factors on homelessness

It is important for local housing authorities to understand the causes and contributory factors to homelessness. The Homelessness Reduction Act places a new duty on Councils to undertake an assessment of the housing and support needs of every client who is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days and to provide them with a Personalised Housing Plan setting out the planned actions that will be undertaken by both the client and the Council to address these issues.

Therefore it is essential to understand the particular contributory factors that have resulted in each client’s particular homelessness situation. This will assist housing advisers in their engagement with each client, setting objectives to intervene in their homelessness and obtaining the commitment of partner organisations to work collaboratively with the Council to tackle it.

14.1 Welfare Reform

Poverty and reduced income as a result of unemployment or ill-health are major contributory factors to homelessness. Those in receipt of welfare benefits are likely to have difficulty saving sufficient money to provide a cash deposit or the first month’s rent in advance for private rented accommodation and certainly would struggle to save a deposit required as part of a mortgage agreement. They are unlikely to have the safety net of readily available finances to respond to unplanned circumstances or personal crises.

The uncertainty of income from welfare benefits can be a barrier to steady rent payments. This is particularly the case if Housing Benefit changes as a result of fluctuations in income, and clients who move from individual benefits to monthly payments of Universal Credit may struggle to manage their household income and outgoings if they had become used to fortnightly benefit payments.

Some private sector landlords, their letting agents and some Registered Providers of affordable rented social housing will specify letting criteria for potential tenants. They may specify the required level of income for their property and may exclude potential tenants who are in receipt of welfare benefits. These landlords may wish to be assured of their rental income, without the difficulty of collecting overdue rent or the expense of legal proceedings to collect any rent arrears.

Although the incidences of homelessness specifically affected by welfare reform have not been recorded within homelessness P1E data, in Arun we have experienced an increase in recent years of the number of clients who have found themselves in financial difficulties as a result of changes to welfare benefit entitlements. For example, 203 households across Arun were affected by the Benefit Cap restrictions from 2016. Many were able to adjust their circumstances to manage the change in income but for a minority of households the change led to difficulties in managing household expenses.

14.2 Changes in employment / wages

Fluctuating income and uncertain wages, which may be the result of zero-hour contracts or self-employment, may prevent householders from making planned and regular rent or mortgage payments. Households where there is only one regular income, or where wages are subject to change as a result of shift work, seasonal changes or bonus/overtime payments may be vulnerable to homelessness if regular rent or mortgage payments cannot be sustained, or other household bills cannot be met.

Employability can be impacted by educational achievement and social class, limiting the employment opportunities which are available to different cohorts or in different geographical regions. Changes in national and economic policy can bring changes to employment status in particular industries and areas, leading to the need for re-training or relocation to maximise new employment opportunities.

Rates of pay in the Arun district are much lower than the south-east average, with many roles paid only at the minimum wage of £7.83 per hour.

Average pay in Arun compares poorly to the averages within the other districts and boroughs within West Sussex, from data collated in 2015:

Average weekly wage by local authority

Local authority	Average weekly wage*
Arun	£316
Chichester	£346
Adur	£366
Worthing	£382
Horsham	£405
Mid Sussex	£418
Crawley	£536

*Source: Annual Survey of hours & earning, Office of National Statistics 2015

Lower than average wages for workers in Arun gives additional challenges to the affordability of accommodation.

Arun’s P1E homelessness data provides evidence of the incidences of homelessness caused by rent arrears, and whether this was found to be the fault of the applicant, due to wilful non-payment, or whether the applicant was found to not be at fault due to other external factors.

Homelessness caused by rent arrears

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Unintentionally homeless due to rent arrears*	8	1	6
Intentionally homeless due to rent arrears* (private rented tenancies)	31	20	25
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

14.3 Sudden changes in personal circumstances

Sudden and unplanned changes in personal circumstances may increase the risk of homelessness. These events may impact directly on the individual’s ability to work and earn, and this can be for an unknown duration. They can also have an indirect impact on the ability to cope psychologically or to manage the additional stress of the change in circumstances. It may also mean that individuals are unable to seek or engage with services when support or advice is needed.

The P1E data records homelessness caused by a non-violent break-up of relationship:

Homelessness caused by a non-violent break-up of relationship

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Homelessness caused by ending of relationship (non-violent)*	1	18	17
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

14.4 Violence or harassment (including Domestic Abuse)

Victims of violence or abuse or may be forced to remove themselves from their home area, as a result of the fear of repeated incidents or of reprisals by the perpetrator if reports are made to the Police. Victims may relocate to another town or region where the perpetrator(s) are unlikely to trace them. This can have a significant impact (mental, emotional, physical, social and financial) on the individual survivor and their family/children.

Homelessness data regarding victims of violence or harassment can include the violence or threats between criminal gangs, as well as incidents perpetrated within a domestic / family relationship.

The growth in drug-based gang violence in London is starting to have an effect on homelessness in Arun as a small number of victims flee the capital to remove themselves from the threat. During the last 3 financial years there has been a steady increase in reported threats and violence in non-domestic settings, leading to homelessness approaches in Arun, although these figures are still lower than reported cases of homelessness as a result of Domestic Abuse.

Homelessness presentations by victims of violence or harassment (non-domestic)

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Homeless duty accepted for victims of violence or harassment (non-domestic)*	7	8	9
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

Homelessness presentations by victims of domestic violence

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Homeless duty accepted for victims of domestic violence*	13	12	12
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

Women’s Aid defines domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common. In the vast majority of cases it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men.

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)
• Psychological and/or emotional abuse
• Physical or sexual abuse
• Financial abuse
• Harassment and stalking
• Online or digital abuse

In Arun, victims of domestic abuse who are at risk in their current home, or have become homeless because of fleeing an abusive situation, can be supported to take injunctive action or security measures to remain or return to their home; or assisted to secure alternative accommodation away from the perpetrator; or may require supported accommodation in a refuge, either within the district or relocated to a different local authority area.

14.5 Leaving prison, hospital or local authority care

Homelessness presentations related to leaving prison, hospital or local authority care

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Homeless duty accepted for those leaving prison*	3	0	1
Homeless duty accepted for those leaving hospital*	2	0	1
Homeless duty accepted for those leaving LA care*	0	2	1
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

The risk of homelessness can be greater for people who are released or discharged after a period of time in prison or hospital, during which any previous accommodation may have been lost or any previous family or social relationships may have deteriorated.

This also includes previously looked-after children (care leavers) who have not had family support during some or all of their childhood.

In all cases, effective homelessness prevention can be achieved during the transition period leading to the departure date. Exit dates from institutions such as prison, and the date that a young person reaches the age of 18, can be known many months or years in advance. Therefore, arranging appropriate housing arrangements before release should be achieved early enough to prevent homelessness.

The West Sussex Care Leavers’ Protocol prevents unplanned homelessness for young people leaving the County Council’s local authority care at age 18, or age 21 if they remain in education. From April 2018, changes to the government’s ‘Keep on Caring’ strategy gave care leavers the entitlement to remain supported by the local authority up to the age of 25, if required. The county-wide Protocol establishes agreed communication and liaison between the Care Leaving team at WSCC and the local housing authority to work proactively to achieve housing solutions for young
people leaving care and to continue to provide housing-related support up to the age of 25 where appropriate.

The Duty to Refer became a legal obligation from October 2018, as part of the Homelessness Reduction Act. It places a duty on organisations such as prisons, hospitals and the care-leaving teams to notify the local housing authority in advance of a client becoming homeless from their service. Its aim is to provide the local authority with the maximum opportunity to engage with the client and work with them to secure an accommodation solution, to prevent them becoming homeless on their release/departure date.

14.6 Leaving the Armed Forces

Service in the Armed Forces and the changes as a result of leaving the Service can put a strain on family relationships, which may lead to separation or divorce. Ex-members of the Armed Forces may have a lack of experience in dealing with everyday finances which can impact sustainment of their accommodation. Mental health problems, including PTSD as a result of their service history, can increase the risks of addiction and unemployment, which may lead to homelessness.
The Ministry of Defence puts support and advice in place for serving members of the Armed Forces towards the end of their service. The Duty to Refer will also apply to the Armed Forces to refer any personnel to the local housing authorities if they are at risk of homelessness after discharge from the Armed Forces.

The Arun Allocation Scheme gives additional priority on the housing register to ex-Armed Forces personnel who need to be accommodated on discharge as a result of a medical condition or disability sustained during their service. The additional priority also applies to a bereaved partner/spouse of Armed Forces personnel made homeless as a result of their loss.

In the last 3 years there were no recorded homeless acceptances for ex-Armed Forces personnel in Arun. Local authorities with closer links to one of the Services are more likely to be impacted by this cause of homelessness.

Homelessness presentations relating to leaving the armed forces

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Homeless duty accepted for those leaving the Armed Forces*	0	0	0
Out of total homeless presentations*	789	765	742

*Source: P1E, MHCLG

14.7 Substance misuse

Problems with drugs or alcohol can contribute to homelessness when they lead to financial difficulties or impact the ability to sustain employment.

In Arun, a snapshot picture of the street community clients discussed at the Arun Street Community MARAC in June 2018 indicate very high levels of drug dependence: 28 (50%) of the 56 cases discussed at that monthly MARAC had known drug dependence issues, whereas only 5 of the 56 clients had known alcohol dependence.

The applicants who seek advice and assistance from Arun district council because they are at risk of homelessness, or have already lost their home, report lower levels of substance misuse than those who are already living some or all of their lives on the streets.

14.8 Mental ill-health

Of course substance misuse and mental health issues are not inter-dependent or caused by the same issues. However, being homeless is incredibly stressful. There is also a high prevalence of mental health problems amongst the street homeless population. It is not uncommon for those traumatised by homelessness to seek solace in drugs or alcohol.

A snap-shot review of the same 56 clients discussed at the Arun Street community MARAC in June 2018 showed that 11 of the 56 clients had a known or diagnosed mental health condition. However, a significant number of the remaining 45 clients displayed chaotic or complex behaviour which could be linked to their drug-use or could be due to an undiagnosed mental health condition.

14.9 The lack of available, affordable & suitable accommodation

It is not solely an issue of accommodation being available for occupation. Accommodation must also be affordable so that it can be sustained and it must be in a location where the household can maintain their lives and have access to the services and amenities they require: including education and transport facilities as well as employment opportunities which match the market value of the rental or property prices.

15. Resources for the Prevention of homelessness

In reviewing the resources that are available to Prevent homelessness, we have considered:

• Resources available to Arun District Council
• Resources provided by partner organisations
• Ways to ‘upstream’ homelessness prevention activities

15.1 Arun’s activities & services for homelessness prevention & relief

Arun’s statutory services for homelessness prevention & relief are undertaken within the Housing Options team. They aim to provide early intervention for households who are already homeless (Relief services) or who are threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days (Prevention services).

Clients can self-serve through Arun’s website by completing an Initial Housing Assessment form, setting out their details and circumstances. There are also opportunities to be assisted to complete this form by frontline staff at either the Civic Centre in Littlehampton, or the Town Hall in Bognor Regis.

The Initial Housing assessment will lead to an appointment with a Housing Options Officer at the earliest opportunity, when a detailed assessment of the client’s housing and support needs is carried out. The Housing Options Officer will work with the client to set out this information in a Personalised Housing Plan, which will contain the tasks and responsibilities that the client is required to carry out, as well as those which will be undertaken by the Council.

The primary aim for the Housing Options team will be to prevent homelessness by helping the client to remain in their current accommodation. This might require negotiation with the client’s landlord or family members; dealing with the risk factors associated with the current accommodation; and resolving issues such as rent arrears, breach of tenancy, behaviour issues, or disrepair/damage. Where possible the Housing Options team will overcome these issues, by negotiation, payment, client agreement or other solution so that the property owner / landlord / family member will continue to allow the client to remain living at the property, thus preventing homelessness. The sustainment of that accommodation may require ongoing support by a third party organisation, and/or the continued involvement of the Housing Options team as trouble-shooters of any future issues.

Where homelessness cannot be prevented by sustaining the current accommodation, the Housing Options team will explain the Council’s ‘offer’ to clients.
This includes advice about the various tenures of accommodation which might be available to them, including making an application to the Arun Housing Register in order to apply for social or affordable housing; guidance about seeking private rented accommodation; the support available from Arun to secure private rented housing, including the Rent Deposit Bond scheme and Rent in Advance payments for those who need it.

15.2 Upstreaming homelessness prevention

The Duty to Refer will play an important role in providing the Council with notification at the earliest opportunity of clients who are at risk of homelessness when they engage with or access services with other agencies and organisations.

Even more effective homelessness prevention work will also involve interaction with client groups or cohorts who are at risk of homelessness, but are not yet engaged with relevant services. This would give the Council opportunities to intervene as early as possible and to ‘upstream’ the prevention activities.

This homelessness review has been undertaken before the implementation of the Duty to Refer. However the Housing & Homelessness Strategy 2018-21 will reflect the new Duty. The Strategy Action Plan will include tasks to take advantage of upstreaming prevention activities as a result of improved communication and referrals from other organisations.

15.3 Arun’s Homelessness decision-making

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 has not changed the legislative basis of homelessness decision-making by local authorities, as set out in Part VI of the Housing Act 1996.

Housing Options Officers will continue to reach decisions on whether the Council’s owes a ‘main’ duty to each homeless household, based on the five tests of homelessness:

• Eligibility
• Homelessness
• Priority Need
• Intentionality
• Local connection

However, the investigation into these 5 tests and the ultimate homelessness decision-making will take place after the 56 days duration of Prevention duty and as
part of the 56 days homelessness Relief duty, helping to determine the accommodation solutions that may be available to the client.

Prior to reaching a S.184 homelessness decision, it is the statutory duty of the local housing authority to carry out a full assessment of the client household’s housing and support needs and to set these out with agreed actions ion the client’s Personalised Housing Plan (PHP).

Each client who is eligible for assistance by the nationality and is either already homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days, is entitled to receive the housing and support needs assessment and to receive a Personalised Housing Plan with agreed actions that they will undertake and that the Council will undertake on their behalf.

16. Specialist supported accommodation & resources for housing support

In reviewing the specialist supported accommodation and resources for provision of housing-related support, we have considered:

• The requirement to assess each client’s support needs
• The supported accommodation provided across service providers, in particular for vulnerable groups
• The available accommodation within each tenure
• The proposals to increase the supply of accommodation

16.1 Resources for client support

The Homelessness Reduction Act requires local housing authorities to undertake an assessment of each client’s support needs; to assess whether these needs are currently being met; and to set out in the Personalised Housing Plan the actions that will be taken by both the client and the Council to ensure appropriate and adequate support is available when homelessness is being Prevented or Relieved. It is understood that unless the client and the household’s support needs are being met, they will struggle to sustain their next accommodation and are likely to repeat their cycle of homelessness.

16.2 Services provided by Stonepillow

The Stonepillow charity was formed in 1989, by a group of 20 church organisations from across the Chichester area, with the purpose to offer shelter, information and support to empower homeless & vulnerable individuals. The organisation’s early aims were to tackle homelessness across different age groups and needs by establishing a day centre; a night shelter; a hostel for young homeless; and some low-cost family housing. The plans for the latter two aims became subsumed into the targets for daytime and night time assistance. Services began initially in the Chichester district but soon expanded into Bognor and the west of the Arun district.

Stonepillow’s main objective is to protect, improve and develop their services in West Sussex. The organisation aims to provide homelessness support services to homeless adult singles & couples (those without dependent children) in the Arun & Chichester areas. These adults may have Priority Need vulnerabilities but may have previously fallen outside statutory provision as a result of a previous adverse homelessness decision or because their behaviour and/or needs mean that statutory services are no longer available to them.

In Arun the charity’s services include:

• The Bognor Regis daytime advice hub at the Glenlogie basement, Clarence Road, Bognor Regis operated by Stonepillow
• The Stonepillow Bognor Regis night hostel at Ellasdale Road, 24 hour accommodation for up to 16 adults, in individual bedrooms with en suite bathrooms
• The Stonepillow Recovery service (Sands) in Canada Grove, Bognor: 12 bed residential rehab for clients with drug/ alcohol problems
• The Stonepillow Restore project, High Street, Bognor Regis. Charity shop & social enterprise initiative, open for 7 days per week
• Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP) each winter in Glenlogie basement with overspill into church hall next door.

Similar daytime and night hostel services as well as Restore and SWEP are operated by Stonepillow in Chichester, in liaison with Chichester District Council.

In autumn 2018 Stonepillow are currently reviewing their organisational Strategic aims and their future plans for their property portfolio. This is in the light of the proposed changes to WSCC’s funding of the Housing Related Support Programme for April 2019 onwards. The over-riding aim of the Stonepillow Board of Trustees is to retain the night hostel provision in both Arun & Chichester, and to explore alternative funding streams to maintain levels of service for recovery and move-on to sustainable accommodation.

16.3 Services provided by Turning Tides (formerly Worthing Churches Homeless Project)

A Christian-based homeless charity called ‘First Response’ began to provide soup and clothing on the streets of Worthing during the winter of 1990/91, in response to a growing number of rough sleepers in the town. By early 1992 the charity had opened a temporary night hostel in a church hall in the centre of Worthing. Operating under the name Worthing Churches Homeless Project, it developed a small property portfolio during the mid-1990s by taking over ownership of buildings from other charities or by negotiating tenancies at a peppercorn rent. These included properties in Buckingham Road, Queens Road and Stoke Abbott Road in Worthing. During the 2000s the charity developed their homelessness provision in Worthing with additional accommodation for clients with alcohol or drugs addictions, called the Recovery Project, and an increasing focus on homelessness prevention, move-on accommodation and providing clients with opportunities to undertake meaningful work and participate in wider society.

Turning Tides services have developed in the east of the Arun district since 2015, with the provision of the Littlehampton Breakfast Club, renamed as Littlehampton Community Hub. The Hub is currently located at the United Church in central Littlehampton and operates on Mondays to Thursdays, offering a range of support and advice services. They also provide a women-only drop-in with partner Safe in Sussex on Fridays.

The service has a range of specialist staff including a Dual Diagnosis Worker supporting those with mental health and alcohol/drug addiction with appropriate personalised treatment; Community Inclusion Worker, employed to help clients to move onto their own accommodation; employment advice and training to help clients to prepare for the workplace; Advice and Assessment Worker to assist with those who are homeless to access accommodation services. Other agencies and services offer support at the Hub, including ‘Care, Grow, Live (CGL)’ for substance misuse; MIND for mental health services; and Pause, an organisation which supports women who have had multiple children removed to care.

Turning Tides aims to provide homelessness support services to homeless adult singles & couples (those without dependent children) in the Arun, Worthing, Horsham & Mid Sussex areas. These adults may have Priority Need vulnerabilities but may have previously fallen outside statutory provision as a result of a previous adverse homelessness decision or because their behaviour and/or needs mean that statutory services are no longer available to them.

During the year of 2017/18, WCHP provided services to the following number of clients in Arun, via the Littlehampton Community hub:

WCHP community hub

	2017/18 Q1	2017/18 Q2	2017/18 Q3	2017/18 Q4	2017/18 Total for year	2018/19 Q1
Individuals accessing Hub:	81	70	66	67	284	74
Male (%)	87%	70%	74%	72%	76%	70.3%
Female (%)	13%	30%	26%	28%	24%	29.7%
Number of times Breakfast Club accessed	920	1000	890	864	3674	1102
Number of new clients accessing the Hub	19	18	20	22	79	45
Number of clients moved into WCHP accommodation	3	2	2	1	8	0
Number of clients moved into PRS accommodation	9	4	0	1	14	31
Number of clients moved into other supported accomm. or TA	7	3	3	2	15	2
Number of clients who are rough sleeping	14	12	3	5	34	10
Number of clients who are insecurely housed	16	14	16	13	59	50
Women-only Group	4	3	3	11	21	4

*Source: WCHP

16.4 Services provided by Bognor Housing Trust

Bognor Housing Trust provides high quality, short-term supportive housing for 25 single homeless people in single rooms within shared housing in Bognor Regis. The organisation aims to support their clients to move on to more independent, suitable accommodation that meets their needs. They offer low to medium housing related support, currently funded in part by the WSCC Housing Related Support Programme.

The support includes 1:1 support with an allocated keyworker and support in accessing external services such as claiming welfare benefits, developing skills in job searches & CV writing and gaining skills to be tenancy-ready for independent living.

16.5 Services provided by the Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is an international Christian church and charity. They provide have community-based services in Canada Road, Bognor Regis which includes a breakfast Drop-in for one day per week, on Tuesdays. The service is well used by homeless and vulnerable individuals, not necessarily those who are street homeless but by those who are pleased to receive a free hot meal and a change of clothes without a requirement to engage or disclose personal details.

The Salvation Army have found that their weekly breakfast drop-in has become a focus for non-UK clients, mainly those from Eastern Europe who may be struggling to manage despite being accommodated and possibly with low-paid employment.

16.6 Services provided by Safe in Sussex

Previously known as Worthing Women’s Aid, the organisation was re-launched as Safe in Sussex in 2013.

The organisation provides education and awareness of domestic abuse as well as offering a safe & confidential service for anyone who may be a victim of domestic abuse by a partner or family member. It serves communities across Sussex and the south coast, with 3 refuges with accommodation for up to 19 families.

The supported accommodation is intended to be a short-term solution, while keyworkers provide support for the clients to move on to independent and sustainable settled accommodation.

The services provided by Safe in Sussex may be subject to review as a result of the changes in funding of WSCC’s Housing Related Support Programme.

16.7 Street Community Outreach Keyworkers

Arun facilitates two Outreach keyworker roles, which are financed by external sources of funding. Both posts are line-managed within the Arun Community Services team, but the staffing costs for one post are met by the Safer Arun Partnership and for the other post by the DCLG Rough Sleeper Fund provision in 2016.

The Outreach Keyworkers each hold a very small caseload of up to 7 clients, referred to them from the Arun Street Community MARAC, the purpose of the role is to engage with street community clients, working with them to reduce the risks of rough sleeping, crime & anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and alcohol
dependence, and physical & mental health issues. In some cases securing an accommodation solution can be the key to stabilising behaviour and support needs, along a Housing First model of pulling in the necessary support and advice once the client is securely housed.

17. General needs accommodation

17.1 Social & affordable housing allocation

Just under 6,000 households were recorded as living in social rented accommodation in the 2011 census (Housing Needs Evidence Report 2016, by consultants GL Hearn).

The allocation of social housing is regulated by housing legislation: it is a statutory requirement of all local housing authorities to hold a housing waiting list and to have a published Allocation Scheme which sets out the criteria by which social housing will be allocated to households in their local authority area.

Social housing, particularly housing that is let at social rent levels, which may as low as 50 per cent of market rents, is a scarce and highly-sought-after resource. Allocations of social housing in Arun are managed via the Arun Housing Register (waiting list). Available Council properties and those belonging to partner housing associations (Registered Partners) are allocated according to the waiting list criteria of the Arun Allocation Scheme, which prioritises applicants according to the severity of their housing need, as well as the length of time that they have waited. The Allocation Scheme must have regard to relevant housing and homelessness legislation and must not unlawfully discriminate against any vulnerable or protected groups, as set out in Equality Act legislation.

The number of social housing allocations during recent years has been as follows:

Number of social housing allocations

Financial year	2014/15	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Arun Council housing lettings*	284	328	270	275
Housing Association lettings in Arun	74	100	82	41
TOTAL social housing lettings per year in Arun	358	428	352	316

*Source: QL Housing system, ADC

By contrast the number of applicants on the Arun Housing Register, waiting for social housing, at October of the last two years has been as follows:

Number of applicants on the Arun Housing Register at October

Financial year	2016/17	2017/18
No. on housing register	1149 (as at 1. 10. 16)	1315 (as at 1. 10. 17)
In Band A	112	73
In Band B	192	249
In Band C	840	992

*Source: QL Housing system, ADC

Property size and type:

Social housing is allocated according to the size of the household to ensure properties are used as effectively as possible to meet housing need, and to avoid overcrowding or under-occupation. The Allocation Scheme applies the following size criteria:

Property size and type

Property size	Suitable household size
Bedsit	Single person or a couple
1 bedroom	Single person or a couple
2 bedroom	households with 1 child, or households with 2 children, or a couple with a medical need for separate bedrooms
3 bedroom	Households with 2 children of different gender where one or both is over 10 years, or households with up to 4 children of different gender aged 10 years or under, or households with up to 4 children of the same gender aged 16 or under
4 bedroom	(This includes 3 bed properties with 2 reception rooms, one of which may be used as a 4th bedroom) households with 4 or more children, with at least 1 child aged 10 or under without a sibling of 10 or under, or households with 4 of more children aged 11 to 16 without a sibling of the same gender, or households with 4 of more children with at least one child aged over 16
5 bedroom (This includes 4 bed properties with 2 reception rooms, one of which may be used as a 5th bedroom)	Households with 5+ children

*Source: Arun’s Allocation Scheme, updated 2018

Down-sizing transfers are encouraged for households who no longer need their current property size, by means of an under-occupation incentive scheme, offering a £1500 incentive payment to tenants who agree to move to the right-size property, freeing up the larger home for a household who need it.

In the 5 years since Arun’s under-occupation incentive scheme started, a total of 65 down-sizing moves have been facilitated, as follows:

Number of down-sizing moves

Year	No. of down-sizing moves
2013/14	6
2014/15	15
2015/16	19
2016/17	13
2017/18	12
TOTAL	65

*Source: QL Housing system, ADC

Arun owns housing stock of a range of property types, as follows (as at 31 August 2018):

Arun housing stock

Dwelling type	Rented	Shared Ownership	Leaseholder	Total
Bedsit	169	-	1	170
Bungalow	356	1	-	357
House	1240	31	-	1271
Flat	1460	13	406	1879
Hostel	33	-	-	33
Maisonette	80	-	47	127
Dwellings Total	3338	45	454	3837
Garages	834	-	-	834
Grand Total	4172	45	454	4671

*Source: QL Housing system, ADC

The difference between the available social housing properties (between 300-400 per year) compared to homelessness demand (more than 700 approaches to the Housing Options team) and the number on the housing register (currently almost 1000), means that a significant number of applicants will be unsuccessful in obtaining social housing.

Therefore the social housing tenure alone cannot meet the housing need of households in the Arun district. Those in housing need are required to consider other housing tenures and other routes to sustainable accommodation.

17.2 Private rented sector

In the 2011 census, just over 10,000 households were recorded as living in the private rented sector (Housing Needs Evidence Report 2016, by consultants GL Hearn). The challenge for those who are seeking private rented accommodation in Arun is to find a property which is affordable and free from hazards.

The Local Housing Allowance (maximum Housing Benefit that will be paid towards the rent) remains set at 2012 levels and has not kept pace with the inflation of rent levels, which have grown in proportion to the wider housing market:

LHA rate against average rent charge

Property size	Average rent charge per month	Maximum HB payable per month
Shared accommodation	£505.00	£299.69
1 bedroom	£650.00	£520.26
2 bedroom	£850.00	£663.09
3 bedroom	£1100.00	£802.92
4 bedroom	£1300.00	£1066.00

This means that many households will have to make a significant additional contribution on top of any Housing Benefit entitlement in order to pay the market rent of a private sector property, even if they would otherwise be entitled to full Housing Benefit in social housing. For households where one or more person is employed, the rent costs can be very high in ratio to local wages.

In the financial year 2017 /18 the Housing Options team assisted 122 households who were homeless or threatened with homelessness to secure accommodation in the private rented sector. This was by way of a Rent Deposit Bond and/or Rent in Advance payment.

A further number of homeless clients were provided with advice about obtaining private rented accommodation, but did not require a Bond or financial assistance. The exact data on the number of Housing Options clients who self-financed into private rented housing has not been recorded up until April 2018, but this data forms
part of the hclic data collection from April 2018 onwards, and therefore will be available for reporting in the future.

17.3 Owner-occupation

The main housing tenure in Arun is owner-occupation. Just under 50,000 households were declared to be in that tenure in the 2011 census, representing approximately 75 per cent of the total 67,000 households across the district (Housing Needs Evidence Report 2016, by consultants GL Hearn).

The average house price in the district is £286,000 (at June 2018), with the average price of a terrace house at £242,000 (at June 2018) and the average price of a flat at £169,000 (at June 2018). The average private sector rent for a 2 bedroom property in June 2018 is £818 per calendar month.

The ratio between house prices in the district and average incomes mean that for many households it will never be possible to enter the home ownership tenure. The requirement to save a sufficient proportion of the house price as a cash deposit makes it unobtainable for many, even if their regular monthly income was adequate to meet mortgage repayments.

17.4 Help to Buy & shared ownership schemes

Low cost home-ownership schemes are supported by central Government funding and usually managed by Registered Partner.

The Help to Buy scheme helps first time buyers who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a property in the housing market and is available to households whose annual household income does not exceed £60,000. Applicants must have access to savings of approximately £4000 to cover the initial costs of buying a home.

18. Gaps in Services

The cross-section of supported accommodation and housing related support set out in this Homelessness Review highlights where there are gaps in services.

Most notably, medium to high level mental health support and housing needs cannot be met by many of these service providers. This is often because the accommodation is set in a shared housing model, where the behaviour and needs of clients with medium to high mental health issues can have a detrimental impact on the well-being of other clients. Also many supported accommodation services do not include a 24 hour staffing resource.

In addition much of the available supported accommodation lacks suitable provision for those with mobility issues or those who require wheelchair accessible housing.

A review of the services provided by statutory and third sector organisations in Arun, demonstrates the availability of supported accommodation that is available within Arun to meet the housing needs of vulnerable client groups as follows:

Availability of supported accommodation within Arun to meet the housing needs of vulnerable client groups

	Elderly	Physical Disability	Learning Difficulties	Mental Health Issues	Substance Misuse	Domestic Abuse	Ex-Armed Forces	Ex-Prisoners
ADC - TA	Y	N	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y	Y
ADC - general needs	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N
ADC - sheltered	Y	Y	Y	Y (low level only)	N	Y	Y	Y
Stonepillow	Y	N (not in Arun)	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
WCHP	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
Salvation Army	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Bognor Housing Trust	Y	N	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y
Sanctuary	Y	N	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
Home Group	Y	N	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
Safe in Sussex	Y	Y	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	Y	Y	Y
Outreach keyworkers	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N

Housing-related support is provided (without accommodation) within Arun to meet the support needs of vulnerable client groups as follows:

Housing-related support (without accommodation) within Arun to meet the support needs of vulnerable client groups

	Elderly	Physical Disability	Learning Difficulties	Mental Health Issues	Substance Misuse	Domestic Abuse	Ex-Armed Forces	Ex-Prisoners
Stonepillow	Y	N (Except The Lodge - Chichester)	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
WCHP	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
Salvation Army	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Bognor Housing Trust	N	N	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
Sanctuary	Y	N	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
Home Group	Y	N	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	N	Y	Y
Safe in Sussex	Y	Y	Y	Y (low level only)	Y	Y	Y	Y
Outreach keyworkers	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

19. Summary of Homelessness Review

This Homelessness Review considers the Arun P1E data and rough sleeping data collected for the last 3+ years.

It demonstrates the high levels of homelessness demand for housing advice and assistance from the Council and the challenges of the lack of suitable and affordable accommodation within the district.

The Review sets out the work undertaken by the Council to address and meet homelessness demand, as well as the services and resources provided by partner organisations working in Arun and in neighbouring authorities. It demonstrates the extent to which the housing and support needs of clients who are homeless or threatened with homelessness are being met and the gaps in services.

This Homelessness Review helps to set the objectives and tasks that will be required in the Housing and Homelessness Strategy to increase the supply of homes across all tenures; to Prevent & Relieve homelessness; to improve housing conditions across all tenures; and to create sustainable communities to meet the needs of all residents.