Plan to help Powys' homeless approved

2 August 2023

A plan designed to get homeless people in Powys into settled accommodation as quickly as possible has been backed by the county council's Cabinet.

The Powys Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan sets out how the council, and other agencies such as housing associations, will work together over the next five years (2023-28) to prevent homelessness and where that is not possible, move people as quickly as possible from temporary accommodation into a settled home.

The Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan includes proposals for the provision of:

• Two 'instant access 24/7 triage centres' where people could go to seek help and have their needs assessed. These will also be used to provide safe and secure temporary accommodation for those who are homeless, for up to a week.
• Two 'interim 24/7 supported accommodation schemes' to provide self-contained homes for those with complex needs who can't immediately live independently in the community.
• Self-contained modular homes to provide more interim accommodation.

Changes are also to be made to the 'Homes in Powys' Allocation Policy, which covers all social housing in the county.

1. People who have been found to be homeless and placed in interim accommodation, will now be offered the chance to make their temporary housing into a permanent home, if the temporary housing is suitable for their needs. This means that people will not have to move again unless their temporary accommodation is not the right type of home for them.
2. The length of a person's service in the British Armed Forces will be considered, as if that person had been living in their local Powys community, when agreeing priority for affordable housing. This adds to the support given by the council to the Armed Forces Covenant.

"In just over three years we have seen the number of households requesting affordable housing more than double, the number of homeless households has increased by more than a third, and the number of households placed in temporary accommodation - including bed and breakfasts - has almost quadrupled," said Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Powys County Council's Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for a Fairer Powys. "So, we needed to act to deal with this unprecedented demand.

"Our plan will assume that everyone is 'housing ready' with the right support, make sure people spend as little time as possible in temporary accommodation; and that when they do need temporary accommodation, it is of a high standard. It will also help people access the right home in the right place for them and sets out that for most this will be an 'independent, mainstream home', but that others may choose supported accommodation.

"It should also help us to cut costs over time, by reducing the need to use bed and breakfast providers for temporary accommodation, which can prove to be very costly."

In adopting this five-year Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan, Powys County Council is supporting the Welsh Government's requirement for all Welsh local authorities to set out how they will reduce and resolve homelessness as quickly as possible.