Housing, homelessness and rough sleeping strategy

Homelessness has profound effects on the lives of those that experience it.

Nationally and in Welwyn Hatfield, homelessness is most visible when people sleep rough on our streets, but it also affects individuals and families who may be ‘sofa-surfing’ or living somewhere unsafe or severely overcrowded.

This Strategy builds on past successes while being flexible enough to adapt to increasing demand for our services and an uncertain future funding and policy environment.

The Strategy follows on from the recently published new Homelessness strategy from central government, A National Plan to End Homelessness.

Our vision is to ensure that homelessness is brief, does not reoccur, that the harm to individuals and our communities is minimised, and it is prevented where possible.

All local authorities, including Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (the Council), have legal duties to prevent and relieve homelessness.

This includes conducting a homelessness review and publishing a strategy every five years.

This strategy reviews the current condition of homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough and describes the Council’s vision, objectives and actions for tackling it.

The strategy seeks to reflect the views and needs of stakeholder, including residents and those with experience of homelessness and rough sleeping, which have been sought through a series of consultations.

This strategy is of high importance to our council’s vision to ‘Put the Community at our Heart’ and priorities for 2024-2027 (appendix C):

• Homes to be proud of.

• Enable an economy that delivers for everyone.

• Action on climate change.

• Run an effective council.

• Together, create opportunities for our communities.

Within our priorities, 'tackling homelessness, meeting local housing need, improving quality and increasing housing supply' are all at the forefront of the Council’s dedication to lowering the level of homelessness and rough sleeping.

The golden threads of wellbeing and housing accessibility runs across our Corporate Plan and Housing Revenue Account business plan as well as the emerging draft Allocations and Housing Strategies.

The Strategy has been co-ordinated with the Health and Welbeing Strategy and informed by the Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessments with direct action focusing on early intervention and prevention of homelessness and rough sleeping, refugees and post asylum seekers and alcohol and drug addiction support.