Council plan to help homless
South Lanarkshire Council have launched a plan to help prevent homelessness.
The authority say they also want to limit the time spent in temporary accommodation.
The Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24 has five priority objectives and an overall vision that: “Homelessness in South Lanarkshire is significantly reduced with homeless households moving to a settled home as quickly as possible”.
The plan is aligned to the council’s Local Housing Strategy, the Health and Social Care Partnership’s Strategic Commissioning Plan and South Lanarkshire’s Community Plan.
Working in partnership, the five priority objectives are to: significantly reduce the overall level of homelessness; significantly reduce time spent by households in temporary accommodation and minimise moves before moving to settled homes; improve and increase housing support for households to live independently within communities; expand the scope and capacity of our Housing First approach to be the first response for households with multiple complex needs; enhance integration and partnership working to embed RRTP through a whole systems approach.
South Lanarkshire Council’s Deputy Leader, and Chair of South Lanarkshire Partnership Board, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, said: “Having a home, which is warm, safe and secure, is essential as a foundation for everything we aim to do in terms of improving the quality of life for everyone in South Lanarkshire.
“2019 is a pivotal year for homelessness in South Lanarkshire. This is our first Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) and sets out how we will work as a partnership to be bold and act wisely to achieve a step change in addressing homelessness.
“It is an ambitious plan that seeks to transform how the particular needs of homelessness people and households are met over the next five years.
“All partners recognise this challenge and are fully committed to ensuring we can deliver on this opportunity to make a real difference, particularly for our most vulnerable people.”
Chairman of the council’s Housing and Technical Resources Committee, Councillor Josh Wilson, said: “South Lanarkshire Council is working to meet its commitment to provide 1000 new homes as part of an overall ambition to deliver new affordable housing.
“Together with housing association partners, we are investing significant resources and aligned with this plan it provides us with a unique opportunity for meeting housing and homelessness needs over the next five years.”
In its first year, the plan aims to reduce the number of existing homeless households by 10 per cent, as well as reducing the average time spent in temporary accommodation by 10 per cent.