Reading Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy Consultation is now live!

Reading Borough Council is looking for your views on proposed priorities for their next Homelessness Strategy. Your feedback will shape and inform the approach and strategic direction regarding homelessness in the town over the next five years.

Reading Borough Council’s existing Homelessness Strategy is not due for review until 2021. However, there has been significant recent legislative change and significant reductions in the use of emergency accommodation for homeless households since 2016. Several interventions in the previous strategy have been successful and consequently, the Council realise the necessity to review the borough’s needs and refresh our strategic objectives around homelessness.

A snapshot review of the borough’s existing Homelessness Strategy can be found here including further detail about why Reading have decided to review and re-draft their current Homelessness Strategy early.

The proposed priorities for the next Homelessness Strategy are:

• Priority 1:Intervening early to prevent and reduce homelessness in Reading
• Priority 2:Increasing access to decent, suitable accommodation
• Priority 3:Supporting people who are vulnerable to recurring homelessness

The Council have developed a separate, but interlinked, Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2024 which provides specific strategic priorities for people who are rough sleeping and those at risk of rough sleeping and a cross-sector, co-produced delivery plan is being developed with partners.

The consultation opened on Monday 5th August and will be open for eight weeks until Sunday 29th September 2019.

Reading Borough Council is inviting organisations and individuals who have experience of homelessness and homelessness services in Reading to answer the consultation questions to give feedback. There will also be the opportunity to respond to questions on social media pages (Twitter and Facebook) which will be posted throughout the 8 week period.

Alongside this wider public consultation the Council will undertake focus groups and workshops with partners that work directly with homeless households. They will also undertake informal interviews with people who have experienced homelessness and repeat homelessness. By consulting with these groups in a targeted way, they hope to ensure that their expertise and voices are genuinely represented.

If you are interested in the work the Council are doing to help people who are homeless in Reading, read their blog here.