Tower Hamlets launches Homelessness Strategy

Tower Hamlets Council has laid out its ambitious plans to tackle homelessness in the borough.

Over ninety representatives from the council, local homelessness charities, the Primary Care Trust, advice agencies and Housing Associations were at Oxford House last Friday (14 November) for the launch of the Homelessness Strategy 2008 – 13.

The Strategy outlines how the council and its partners will get to the heart of tackling worklessness, child poverty and health inequalities amongst homeless people in the borough.

Since the first strategy was published in 2003, some significant steps have been taken to tackle homelessness. As a result, the number of homeless applications has fallen by 50 per cent and the number of households placed in temporary accommodation has fallen too.

But Lead Member for Housing and Development at the council, Councillor Marc Francis, believes there is still more to be done. He said: “Nowhere in London has seen more affordable housing built in the past few years than Tower Hamlets.

“But we’re keen to do even more to address all the issues which impact upon homelessness and that’s reflected in this strategy. In a couple of weeks, plans for a multi-million pound package of new investment in social housing will be considered by the council’s Cabinet, so this really is an exciting time for us to launch these plans.”

Councillor Francis added: “More than any other service I can think of, successful homeless services depend on a partnership with the voluntary sector. I’m proud of the strong partnerships that we have in place, and believe that together we can make a real difference for the homeless people who so desperately need our help.”

The key proposals in the strategy launched on Friday were:

• plans to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by half;
• the aim to review the allocations policy to help overcrowded families;
• plans for a pilot scheme to end the poverty trap and make work pay for those homeless families trapped in expensive temporary accommodation;
• proposals to place all homeless 16-17 year olds (where returns home are not possible) in supported accommodation by 2010.