Bid to end rough sleeping in the city

CITY leaders have approved an ambitious bid to end street homelessness in Coventry by 2022.

Rough sleepers numbers in the city are a growing problem, with official figures showing a 316 per cent rise from six in 2014 to 25 in 2018.

The pledge to abolish street homelessness in Coventry has been included in a new Rough Sleeping Strategy 201924, which was approved by the city council’s cabinet on Tuesday, December 10.

Speaking at the meeting, cabinet member for housing and communities Cllr Tariq Khan said: “Clearly this will be a challenge but it is absolutely right to do that.

“I am pleased to be presenting such an ambitious agenda to cabinet.”

The strategy has been devised by the authority in partnership with homelessness agencies and it is hoped the target for 2022 would be achieved through partnership working.

Existing services such as Steps for Change - a collaboration between the council and agencies - are currently in place to support rough sleepers, while a homelessness forum also takes place in the city and involves more than 50 attendees from homelessness agencies and the council.

Other initiatives to help rough sleepers such as Housing First are also making slow progress, with the cabinet meeting told 14 people have been found accommodation since it launched in November last year, with a further two joining this week, while another 18 have been accepted but are awaiting accommodation.

It initially launched across seven councils in the West Midlands Combined Authority, with a goal of helping 225 homeless people find a home each year.

However the actual figures for the first year show that 81 people have been housed through the scheme - just 36 per cent of the target.

As part of the council’s new rough sleeping strategy, a public donation system will also launch so residents can donate money which homelessness organisations can apply for on behalf of rough sleepers.

Conservative councillor Roger Bailey said of the 2022 aim: “I totally endorse the idea of eradicating homelessness by 2022.

“It is not going to be easy but it is a worthy target to have.”