Agenda item

Report attached.

Members considered a report of Councillor Melissa Fisher, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regeneration, outlining the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery 2025 - 2026 grant and Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme 2025 - 2026 grant funding the Council had been awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

 

The report also identified how the Council proposed to utilise both funding programmes and sought approval to enter into agreements with Maundy Relief and Stepping Stone Projects to support their activities and services in the relief and prevention of rough sleeping.

 

Councillor Fisher provided a brief introduction to the report, highlighting the increased funding available from MHCLG and the overall approach to the issue which involved multiple stakeholders working to address the reasons for rough sleeping which were wider than simple access to housing matters.  She was pleased to see the Council working closely with Maundy Relief and Stepping Stone Projects.

 

Councillor Pritchard reported that the Accrington Town Centre Group had already identified two rough sleepers and had referred these to Stepping Stone Projects.  Councillor Whitehead commented that the funding received could not tackle all of the factors involved and that additional welfare support would be required.  There remained further work to do to better address the rough sleeping issue.  Councillor Khan indicated that he welcomed the additional funding provided and expressed the view that rough sleeping had been a growing challenge over the last few years.  Part of the solution might be to establish links into getting those individuals back into work.  Councillor Pritchard confirmed that Stepping Stone Projects did provide support around maintaining tenancies and getting into employment.  Councillor Khan asked if a positive case study could be publicised to showcase the good work taking place.  This would need to be with the consent of any individuals featured.   Councillor Whitehead indicated that positive communications was one of the Council’s priorities.  She added that she was a member of the Street Angels group, which also had a role to play in identifying and supporting rough sleepers.

 

The Leader of the Council applauded the good work already being undertaken by Maundy Relief and Stepping Stone Projects.

 

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

 

Reasons for Decision

 

Rough Sleeping Grant Programmes

 

In 2018, the previous Government had published their national Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan aiming to halve rough sleeping by the end of that Parliament and eliminate it by 2027.  The Government had committed long term funding for programmes such as the Next Steps Accommodation Programme, Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) programme and the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP).

 

Local authorities continued to be invited to apply for funds to address rough sleeping.  The RSAP and RSI programmes were designed to fund complementary interventions and activities for this purpose.  There remained a need in the Borough for accommodation for rough sleepers as a route off the street and to prevent people from sleeping rough.  Consequently, the Council had submitted applications and had been successful in securing both RSI and RSAP grant funding.

 

Members were asked to note that MHCLG had also consolidated what were formerly the Rough Sleeping Initiative, and the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders grants into a single 2025/26 Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant.  The awards for 2025/26, which were based on 2024/25 funding, had been announced in December 2024.  The current Government was looking at introducing a new homelessness strategy following the conclusion of Phase 2 of this year’s Government’s Spending Review.

 

Hyndburn Council had successfully worked with a number of local charitable agencies such as Stepping Stone Projects and Maundy Relief to prevent and reduce rough sleeping.  The overall aim of the Council was to extend those activities.

 

Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) Funding [now called Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery grant (RSPR)]

 

The Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant programme replaced the former RSI funding programme which had provided additional bed spaces for rough sleepers with tailored support including help with mental health problems, addiction services, tenancy support, and access to training and employment.

 

Hyndburn’s Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery grant allocation reflected and was based on the former RSI funding award for 2024/25.

 

The table below summarised Hyndburn’s Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery grant award for 2025-2026:

 

Table 1

 

A Bed Every Night	£20,000
Flexible surge accommodation fund	£6,325
Emergency night shelter	£15,000
Navigator service	£31,000
Step Forward Hyndburn	£28,576
Support into employment and training for rough sleepers	£45,000
Total	£145,901

 

 

The proposal was to maintain the following existing activities and interventions:

 

• A Bed Every Night (ABEN) was an existing project which offered short term secure self-contained accommodation with support prior to securing longer term accommodation.  Stepping Stone Projects provided support to occupants who lived in five dispersed flats.

 

• The night shelter was an existing activity that provided emergency overnight accommodation for rough sleepers and those at imminent risk of rough sleeping.  Access to the accommodation, subject to space, was available year-round.  Based at Maundy Relief in the centre of Accrington, the accommodation was in three single rooms with two shared bathrooms.  Users could access showers, a washing machine and a kitchenette and were provided with an evening meal and breakfast.

 

• The navigator service was a continuation of an existing activity and was provided by Maundy Relief.  It provided an outreach activity that proactively sought out rough sleepers in their locations and offered immediate emergency support with food, clothing and overnight accommodation in Maundy‘s night shelter.

 

• Supporting Step Forward Hyndburn which was a 12 bedroom project for single male homeless cases including rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping.  On reviewing the project it was concluded that there was a need to provide 24/7 on-site management, security and support, so this grant supported the running and management of the project.

 

• Looking at initiatives and activities which would lead to employment and training for rough sleepers to help rebuild their lives.  It was proposed that this grant would be used to procure initiatives and activities.

 

• Flexible surge accommodation provided funds to improve access to a wider range of accommodation, such as deposits/rent upfront payments to secure private rented accommodation for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping.  It also provided funding for cold weather payments.  This activity would be directly administered via the Council’s Housing Advice and Homelessness Team.

 

Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP)

 

The Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) was another programme which had been introduced in 2021 to reduce rough sleeping.

 

This Programme provided for both capital and revenue funding to meet the cost of longer term accommodation and support to help rough sleepers rebuild their lives.  Local authorities were expected to work with accommodation providers and specialist agencies to end rough sleeping, especially where local authorities were no longer a landlord.

 

In 2021, Hyndburn had secured £175,833 funding for the period 2021 to 2024 to provide access to accommodation and support for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping.  This was detailed in a report, which had been submitted to the Cabinet meeting held on 22^nd June 2022.  Approval had been granted to enter into a grant agreement with Stepping Stone Projects to deliver support to rough sleepers living in five properties.

 

The former Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUC) had invited Councils, including those who had already been awarded grants, to submit further proposals and bids for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP).  Proposals could include securing additional grant to support existing RSAP projects.

 

Hyndburn had made a submission and had been awarded additional revenue grant to expand the existing RSAP project so that an additional 5 people who had been rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping could be accommodated with support.  This grant covered the cost of support provided by Stepping Stone Projects and helped furnish accommodation.

 

Hyndburn’s RSAP award for 2025/26 was based on 2024/25 funding.

 

Table 2

 

RSAP Grant Programme	2025/2026
Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme Support to occupants in 10 units of accommodation	£75,000

 

 

The proposal was to make a further grant payment of £75,000 to Stepping Stone Projects for the continuation of their support to occupants of 10 units of dispersed accommodation in the Borough, which was provided to help people who had been rough sleeping, into longer term accommodation

 

Alternative Options considered and Reasons for Rejection

 

The award to Hyndburn Council for 2025/26 was a continuation of funding to maintain services and activities to prevent and respond to homelessness.  For this reason, no alternative proposals were suggested or recommended.

 

RSAP and RSI funded interventions supported Hyndburn’s Prevention of Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.  It was widely recognised that housing and support for vulnerable people provided a quicker and more effective service to ensure vulnerable residents could move forward with their lives, and in the case of rough sleeping, preventing a cycle of rough sleeping.

 

As these agreements were considered grants, they were not subject to the Council’s Contracts Procedure Rules as no procurement was taking place.  The Council proposed to award the funding by way of grants to Stepping Stones and Maundy Relief, as set out in the report, because both organisations already carried out work to prevent and relieve rough sleeping, and the grant would support both organisations and enable them to extend and enhance the activities they already provided successfully in the Borough.

 

Resolved                                    -    That Cabinet:

 

(1)    Notes and approves the acceptance of £145,901 Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery grant for 2025/26.

 

(2)    Notes and approves the acceptance of £75,000 Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) grant for 2025/26.

 

(3)    Approves the following grants from the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant award for 2025/26 to continue and enhance support for people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping:

 

(i)         a grant of £20,000 to Stepping Stone Projects for the continuation of the “A Bed Every Night” project;

(ii)        a grant of £28,576 to Stepping Stone Projects for the continuation of Step Forward Hyndburn;

(iii)      a grant of £15,000 to Maundy Relief for the continuation of the emergency night shelter; and

(iv)      a grant of £31,000 to Maundy Relief for the continuation of the street navigator activities.

 

(4)    Approves an additional grant of £75,000 from the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) 2025 – 2026 to Stepping Stone Projects for the continuation of their support to occupants of 10 units of dispersed accommodation in the Borough which is provided to help people who have been rough sleeping into longer term accommodation.

 

(5)    Delegates authority to the Head of Regeneration and Housing, in consultation with the Executive Director (Legal and Democratic Services) to draw up, finalise and execute agreements to grant Maundy Relief and Stepping Stone Projects the funds listed above to continue the support and activities they are currently providing.