The award will help to address the limited gender specific support for women in homelessness services in the city. This was a gap identified by the Crisis funded report from last year which looked at how homelessness in Oxfordshire should be addressed. The report can be accessed here: https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/homelessness-knowledge-hub/housing-models-and-access/oxfordshire-feasibility-study/

To allocate £30,000 for the first six month’s costs of the new Alliance Manager post, which will oversee the implementation of the new Countywide Homelessness Service. The ongoing costs of this post will be met from within the budget for the new service from 1 April 2022, but it is important for the successful implementation of the new service that this post can be recruited earlier to ensure the service is set up effectively.

At the time of drafting the Cabinet report, £135,798 was left unallocated due to the uncertainties around what provision might be required in respect of the progress of the pandemic. The report delegates authority to the Interim Director of Housing in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder to agree revisions to the programme within the overall budget

No other options have been considered.

Paul Leo – Interim Director of Housing

In consultation with Stephen Clarke, Director of Housing and Cllr Diko Blackings – Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing, Housing Security and Housing the Homeless