South Holland adopts Next Steps Accommodation Programme for rough sleepers
A near £800,000 package to help tackle rough sleeping in South Holland will see a number of new properties bought in the area to house them.
The package, described as "an attempt to try and minimise the rough deal some people have got" will see so-called "move-on accommodation" provided to the homeless for up to three years.
During a virtual meeting on Wednesday, South Holland District Council members unanimously agreed to back the Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP), bringing just under £400,000 of government cash into the area for single people or couples without a home of their own.
The cash will be match-funded from the council's own budget to buy up to three properties which will be made ready for homeless people to live in by March 31, 2021.
Coun Gary Porter, district council leader, said: "This is an attempt to bring some people who have been marginalised in society back into the mainstream.
"It's only an attempt because it's not sufficient to see the problem of rough sleeping off completely.
"But we've got a duty to do what we can as an organisation that's got housing as a specific function to try to minimise the rough deal some people have got.
"We're able to do it on this occasion with government money which is centrally paid for and will also save local money."
The NSAP was launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in July with the aim of providing housing to around 15,000 vulnerable people across the country at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a meeting two weeks ago, councillors were told that the area had 15 rough sleepers during the first week of November, three more than in the whole of 2019, according to the Lincolnshire Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2021 report.
Assuring councillors that they would be consulted before any property is bought, Coun Porter said: "For a lot of people who are homeless, there are alcohol problems, drug problems and mental health problems.
"But there are also a lot of people who are put out onto the street with none of these problems and they get these problems while they are out on the street.
"Their best chance of getting out of these problems is having a secure property around them.
"We've got to try that now and I think we should give it our best shot."
A report on the programme provided for councillors stated that South Holland council tax payers funded temporary accommodation for the homeless to the level of nearly £585,000.
In response to questions about potential problems with nuisance and disturbance caused to families living near the NSAP homes, councillors were told that a portion of the funding would pay for a "dedicated" housing officer who work with new tenants and help them acclimatise to their accommodation.
Launching the NSAP in July, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: "The remarkable national effort to support rough sleepers and vulnerable people during this crisis has protected many lives and I am hugely grateful to all those involved.
"We now have a landmark opportunity to break the cycle of rough sleeping and ensure that people do not return to a life on the streets.
"I am launching this funding to ensure that vulnerable people and rough sleepers continue to have a roof over their heads and are helped into longer term accommodation, enabling them to start to rebuild their lives."
. Extended closure of South Holland Centre is a 'poor show'
Confirmation that Spalding's South Holland Centre will not reopen before the end of March next year has been branded a "poor show".
Work required on the building in Market Place, including roof repairs and electrical maintenance, was reported to members of South Holland District Council during Wednesday's meeting.
Members agreed to officially accept a £170,860 grant from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund to compensate for an estimated 85 per cent loss of income caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the centre's closure for a full year angered Coun Angela Newton, leader of the district council's opposition Independent group, who claimed that some of the work could have been done during the summer.
Coun Newton said: "I did say at the time when we had to close South Holland Centre because of the pandemic that I hope we're going to be ready to reopen it at the first opportunity after lockdown.
"A lot of people rely on that building for comfort and entertainment, but it appears now that the roof requires attention and that we need some essential repairs to the electricity system.
"It's amazing that this has just come to light because when I asked in April or may whether some work has been done, most of these issues could have been dealt with them.
"It's a poor show when we need to show the local community that we're a can-do council, a will-do council that will get on and do things."
. Area to make 'high-powered noises' about closure of Minor Injuries Unit
The council is to tell Lincolnshire health leaders that the closure of the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Spalding's Johnson Community Hospital since April is a "disgrace".
Coun Newton said: "We know that at the start of this pandemic, the MIU was closed and staff were sent to other units because we were told there was more of a need.
"But prior to that, it was well-used and as a district, it really behoves us on behalf of all residents to say that we need it open.
"It's essential and I think for a district this size, with 90,000-plus people, to have no MIU is a disgrace.
"As far as our employers are concerned, it means that anybody having a slight accident at work, or at home, has got to trail out of our district to a hospital in Boston, King's Lynn, Wisbech or Peterborough.
"We shouldn't tolerate it and I think we should make some high-powered noises."
. Review of shared service between South Holland and Breckland
Concerns about health services in the area come at the same time as work is underway to decide whether South Holland District Council should continue its partnerships with Breckland Council, which includes parts of Norfolk and Suffolk.
The review is being led by Nathan Elvery, who joined the council as a strategic advisor last month.
Council leader Coun Gary Porter said: "Part of the work that Nathan is doing now will be to look at shared management and any possible change in direction for the future."
