Housing, homelessness and rough sleeping strategy

Consultation

Our 2025 consultation sought feedback on the draft 2025-2029 strategy and we received 58 responses from residents and partners.

There was broad agreement with the vision and objectives of the strategy, with 89% of respondents either ‘strongly agreeing’ or ‘agreeing’ with each of the four main objectives.

A similar proportion thought that the strategy at least partly reflected the main challenges and needs of people experiencing homelessness in Welwyn Hatfield, but there was less confidence that it captured the voices of those people.

Perhaps reflecting the complexity of the issues involved, most respondents were also unsure that the strategy would reduce homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough.

On priorities, there was strong support for improving the quality and availability of housing (emergency shelters, temporary accommodation, and social housing in general).

Other feedback reflected the high demand for social housing, suggesting amendments to allocation policies, or that the Council should work harder to shorten void periods between tenancies.

There was also strong support for providing specialist services for the most vulnerable (e.g. drug and alcohol support, veterans and care leavers) and strengthening partnerships with local organisations.

Respondents also highlighted issues around public safety, such as aggressive begging, women’s safety and police enforcement.

These responses have been considered and, where possible, have informed changes to the strategy.

Outside of the formal consultation, we spoke with Welwyn Hatfield residents, our partner organisations and staff to better understand which interventions are successful and the needs of people who are homeless or sleeping rough.

What our residents say

Our summer 2023 community survey gathered feedback to help us better understand resident’s perspectives on housing and homelessness within the borough.

Council staff also sought feedback directly from residents, particularly those in temporary accommodation.

The community survey, with over 1,300 responses, ranked tackling homelessness within the borough as the third most important priorities for the local community. Through this survey, residents told us that we need to:

• 'Ensure homelessness is addressed and support is provided'.
• 'Prevent homelessness by providing support to vulnerable people'.
• 'Find suitable accommodation for homeless people'.

Residents recognised the necessity of more affordable housing, and the importance of planning for local needs, and many comments clearly indicated simply to 'care for local people'.

This survey fed directly into developing our corporate priorities. Most significantly, it encouraged our corporate aim to “support and prevent homelessness” under our wider vision of 'homes to be proud of'.

What our partners say

The Council collaborates with a range of partners and organisations to deliver varied support services for those in need. We are dedicated to maintaining and improving these support options and increasing public awareness and use of them.

Through consultations with our partners, several key strengths were identified: our determination to help in any way possible, strong communication, and the supportive relationships maintained by our housing officers.

Partners emphasised the importance of continuing to be responsive and flexible, as each homeless application presents unique challenges and must be treated on a case-by-case basis.

Our partners highlighted areas for improvement, including:

• Sharing relevant information from the start of each process to reduce repeat questions or delays.
• Standardising our housing support criteria to enhance service efficiency, especially when multiple people are involved or during handovers.
• Educating the public and council officers about homelessness to aid in reputation building and removing stigma.
• Improving support for move-on services.

Additionally, HCC Child Services emphasised the importance of understanding and fulfilling our role as a 'corporate parent',  particularly in supporting care leavers and considering their trauma.

The Strategy accords with our partners work on local Health & Welbeing Strategies, Economic Development Strategy as well as the Council’s recently updated Child and Adult Safeguarding strategies, to both protect our residents but give them better opportunities in health, housing and employment.

Joint patrols with the Police and key providers will also be trialled.

What our staff say

Our frontline staff from the Housing Options, Housing Allocations and Temporary Accommodation teams stressed the increase of homelessness approaches and the numerous complex causes.

Staff highlighted the impacts and strain of the private rental section 21 evictions, and therefore the necessity of engaging further with private landlords and securing additional pathways to keep residents housed.

It was widely expressed that the increase in the number of households threatened with homelessness requires flexible services that engage and guide residents, encouraging proactive solutions and public education.

Moreover, staff noted that while we offer a strong range of services and maintain good relationships, we must review them regularly to ensure their effectiveness.

Our staff highlighted the increase in complex needs among rough sleepers, which has risen particularly due to the mental health impacts of the pandemic.

Partners and organisations need a better understanding individuals' complex needs to be able to better support those in need.

Staff recognised the clear need for intermediate services, as many repeat returners do not fit the requirements of existing support options.

To end rough sleeping, we must also provide services and accommodation for those with a wider range of vulnerabilities.