A new 2-year action plan to support people affected by homelessness and rough sleeping is due to go before senior Isle of Wight Councillors.
The Isle of Wight Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan sets out how the Isle of Wight Council will intervene earlier to prevent people from becoming homeless, support people to stay off the streets and improve long-term housing access and supply.
Working closely with partners, the council has developed a plan that focuses on homelessness prevention, intervention and recovery.
It details how the authority will support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by:
- Providing timely support before people become homeless
- Helping people who are already in crisis to get swift, targeted support
- Supporting people to find a new home quickly and rebuild their lives
- Introducing new packages to assist residents seeking to access the private rented market
- Building stronger partnerships across health, social care, housing, public health and police
- Using all available powers to bring empty properties back into use
Deputy leader and Cabinet member for housing provision and housing needs, Councillor Ian Stephens, said:
“The strategy action plan provides a blueprint setting out how we will address issues around homelessness that affects hundreds of people on the Island each year.
“Our aim is to deliver our vision whereby everyone living on the Island has a safe place to call home. We are living in some of the most challenging times in our recent history with many households adversely affected by the cost of living and housing crisis.
“Our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan takes that into account and sets out a bold plan to address it and find a sustainable solution.”
Article continues below this advertisement
The full Cabinet report and more information can be found with the agenda to the 16th June Cabinet meeting available online.
Use what housing stock the council have, build more social housing to house our own and stop giving preference to the dregs and 2nd home owners from the big island, simples.
Does a mainland non-dreg (non-2nd home) get preference over an Island dreg? Or does your housing priority policy assume there are no Island dregs.
Yes, unfortunately, we have our home grown island dregs that get a flat or house, or not get a job, through choosing jsa as a career choice, as did their parents and grandparents, or, purely by not using contraception. If you have been on the islands waiting list or you hale from the island then you should be housed in front of people who aren’t. If you are from the big island and buy privately you’ve paid for it not sponged it, but, if buying it to rent out, then it should be islanders get priority to rent it, whatever their background.
I am sure they will get this information from the council via their top of the range phones and pay the vets bills for their dogs by direct debit too. I am sure their are many real homeless, but some just take the p**s. Some homeless even prefer it on the streets.
they do and some are homeless because of their bad attitudes, arrogant drunken, drugged up behaviour and refusal to be neighbourly. These types spend all day sat around town, with bottles of cheap cider, being an eyesore – they won’t help theirselves, so why should we be expected to help them.
“Our aim is to deliver our vision whereby everyone living on the Island has a safe place to call home. “
Slight error in the above, it should read…
“Our aim is to deliver our vision whereby every born and bred islander has a safe place to call home. “
The message should be– “If you are not a born and bred islander and you are faced with homelessness, we will provide you with a ferry ticket to get you to the mainland, so that you can return to the place you are from.”
The biggest problem the uk has is that there are plenty of affordable housing via councils, however people who no longer qualify for it are still in situ….i know many families earning enough to get mortgages but sat in council houses,there should be laws to force well off families to go private or get mortgages but its too pretty for them paying 400 for a 3 bed and all repairs done by council. they dont look poor in the slightest always able to afford nice things and holidays Also elderly people who are in 3 bed houses and all children grown up but still sat in a house on there own…………a family could been housed in.
One of the issues here is that tax credits and U/C means so very many council house and private rental tenants only have to work 16 hrs to then be able to claim one or the other benefits.
Now these benefits are so high making the 16 hours wage up to what most don’t earn if doing full time jobs.
THEN, because you are in receipt of these benefits, you get cheap or free rent and council tax.
Also free dental for the entire family along with prescriptions, school meals, school uniforms etc.
Hence many pay so little in rent, they would never swap unless forced to do so as life is sweet and they will have over half the week off too.
Perhaps they could try getting a job, never since the 60’s are jobs so plentiful and well paid.
Some people actually like being homeless – means they are answerable to no one which suits them. Others are homeless for no fault of their own, or because of stupidity. There should be some sort of service on offer for these people, but really to find out what sort of service then someone needs to talk direct to those who are homeless to find out what their needs are before any plans are made – we may eventually get something right doing it this way, go to the source to find the answers.
Why on earth do southern housing have a house full of several rooms with people in there with various problems including alcoholics drug takers and anti social behaviour who disturb all the neigbours at all hours shouting and swearing and making other residence all up fort street lives a misery???! Its NOT ACCEPTABLE to house such people in sandham house in such a residential area. Kids are unwilling to play in their gardens due to being scared and subjected to the WORSE language imaginable. We are SICK to death of having to ring the house to complain on an almost daily basis. Police and ambulance visits are constantly being called . !!
No more council tax money should be spent on those who choose unemployment, as they’re better off.
Why don’t they put the homeless in the empty council office block by the heights. Imagine how many single units you could get in the building.
Tents on the tip, where they could not ruin the area, not disturb anyone, and could leave litter, cans and excreta and not have to have others clear it up.
They could even work and sort rubbish……….mind that would be a step too far.
Yep, good shout.