The South East Homelessness Action Plan 2006-2007
20/04/06
As part of the Government's agenda of maintaining the good homelessness prevention work in recent years, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has tasked each government office to produce a Regional Homelessness Action Plan to cover the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
With a focus on goals that will be achievable within the plan's timescale, the Action Plan aims to bring together an overview of issues and actions across the region, to promote good practice, and to identify gaps and issues for further consideration.
The Regional Housing Forum has been strongly involved in developing the agreed Homelessness Action Plan for the South East. The first draft was produced by a task group drawn together by the Government Office of the South East (GOSE) of key regional people involved in the homelessness agenda. The draft was discussed by the Forum at its February meeting. As a result of that and Forum members?? written comments, key amendments were made.
The final version was submitted to the Regional Housing Board in March, where the importance and benefit of the Forum's involvement was recognised by both GOSE and the Regional Housing Board. The Board endorsed the current revision of the Action Plan, and the planned involvement of the Regional Housing Forum in its implementation.
The key aims of the Homelessness Action Plan are:
- local authorities are encouraged to continue to implement their homelessness strategies.
- establishing a Regional Homelessness Forum.
- developing regional homelessness issues at the strategic level.
- developing a way of disseminating good practice.
The new Regional Homelessness Forum will be set up as a sub-group of the
Regional Housing Forum and will be responsible for:
- building the region??s homelessness evidence base by pulling together prevailing regional intelligence, projects etc.
- identifying and promoting good practice.
- developing recommendations for regional homelessness policy and actions.
Once established, the Homelessness Forum will also explore with the Regional Housing Board how it can contribute to developing the homelessness content of the next Regional Housing Strategy.
The next steps for the Action Plan, including establishing the new forum, were due to be discussed at the Regional Housing Forum??s meeting on 3 April 2006.
If you want to make a difference in this important area and bring your expertise to the forum, contact Sharon Smith, CIH SE Branch Policy Officer and Chair, South East Regional Housing Forum, tel: 07815 089393 or email: sharonsmith@f2s.com