The Executive Director of Housing has submitted a report to update Cabinet on the county-wide transformation work and seek the necessary approvals to proceed.  To also seek approval to retender and award the current outreach, engagement and assessment contract.

Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to:

1.    Note the progress developing the County-Wide Single Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, attached in Appendix 1;

2.    Note that work will be done to review the current decision making arrangements as described in the report. Any revised arrangements would be subject to a further report to Cabinet for Member consideration;

3.    Note the ongoing development of an alliance approach to commissioning and the approved timetable for delivery;

4.    Approve Oxford City Council’s 5-year financial commitment from its base budget to the pooled budget arrangement of £4,842,900 in total;

5.    Approve the re-procurement of the Outreach, Engagement and Assessment hub contract at a value of £1,420,507 and delegate the responsibility for the award of contract to the Executive Director for Housing;

6.    Approve the procurement of a Navigator service, as a separate lot, at a value of £150k and delegate the responsibility for the award of contract to the Executive Director for Housing; and

7.    Note the potential wider operational changes required to support the county-led transformation.

The Executive Director of Housing had submitted a report to update Cabinet on the county-wide transformation work and seek the necessary approvals to proceed.  To also seek approval to retender and award the current outreach, engagement and assessment contract.

Cllr Blackings, Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing, Housing Security and Housing the Homeless, introduced the report. The proposals sought to ensure that all relevant authorities and agencies across the county have a co-ordinated approach to rough sleeping and single homelessness, so avoiding a silo approach to dealing with those affected.

Cabinet welcomed the report which was a welcome development and as significant improvement on the position of a few years ago when, for example, significant County Council funding for this area of work was withdrawn.

This report, taken together with previous three housing related reports represented a transformation in the way the Council deals with people who are homeless and with homelessness prevention.  The increasing levels of co-operation between all those involved in matters to do with homelessness was welcome and would be critical the success  of this area of work as was the importance of putting lived experience at the centre of it, together with measures of success  which  take account of the outcomes for individuals. In this way the  Council would, properly,  be both a servant and champion of its people.

The Chair noted that the pandemic had increased and improved the level and quality of wider partnership working for the good of the City’s residents and it was to be hoped that this improvement would not be lost.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Note the progress developing the County-Wide Single Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, attached in Appendix 1 of the report;

2.    Note that work will be done to review the current decision making arrangements as described in the report. Any revised arrangements would be subject to a further report to Cabinet for Member consideration;

3.    Note the ongoing development of an alliance approach to commissioning and the approved timetable for delivery;

4.    Approve Oxford City Council’s 5-year financial commitment from its base budget to the pooled budget arrangement of £4,842,900 in total;

5.    Approve the re-procurement of the Outreach, Engagement and Assessment hub contract at a value of £1,420,507 and delegate the responsibility for the award of contract to the Executive Director for Housing;

6.    Approve the procurement of a Navigator service, as a separate lot, at a value of £150k and delegate the responsibility for the award of contract to the Executive Director for Housing; and

7.    Note the potential wider operational changes required to support the county-led transformation.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 16 June, will consider a report on the County-Wide Transformation of Rough Sleeping. The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations thereon.

Councillor Diko Blackings, Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing, Housing Security & Housing the Homeless; and Nerys Parry, Housing Strategy & Needs Manager, have been invited to attend for this item.

This item was discussed in confidential session.