Issue - meetings

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Health and Community which sought the Board’s approval to ratify a new Homelessness Strategy for the Borough.

            The Board was advised that the Homelessness Act 2002 required each local authority to review the extent and nature of homelessness in their area and to produce a strategy and action plan to prevent and tackle the problem. Halton’s first Homelessness Strategy was published in 2003 which included measures to prevent homelessness and to develop and improve services for households who become homeless.

            The new Homelessness Strategy built upon the progress made from the previous Homelessness Strategy and focused more heavily on prevention and early intervention strategies.

            The report set out the key findings of the Review and the key recommendations that came from this.

            The Board was advised that a formal consultation exercise was carried out in March 2009, to seek views on the draft documents referred to above. The Council received six formal responses of which three were from external sources, one from an Elected Member and two from internal officers.

            However, it should also be noted that the blue print for developing the draft Homelessness Strategy was presented to the Borough’s Homelessness Forum. The Homelessness Forum also had the opportunity to consider and comment on the findings and draft strategy on several occasions ahead of the wider consultation exercise.

The Board was advised that a key component that the respondents were supportive of was the preventative emphasis in the new strategy, its general strategic direction and the objectives and recommendations. The Review and Strategy was presented to the Urban Renewal Policy and Performance Board on the 17^th June 2009 and endorsed its content.

            It was noted that the draft Documents had now been revised taking into account all the appropriate comments. Where possible the recommendations had been rationalised in order to clarify and prioritise strategic thinking to aid delivery of resulting actions.

            RESOLVED: That the Executive Board agrees the adoption of the new Strategy.