16th
Apr 2017
Oxford City Council is planning a proactive campaign as The Homelessness Reduction Bill 2016-17is due to be passed by the House of Lords, and will be guaranteeing the rent for all tenants who are and could become homeless.
The new Bill which should be passed very shortly is giving council's the onus of responsibility to help eligible people, which include families, for fifty six days before they are made homeless. People already living on the streets will receive a further fifty six days to help them find somewhere to live. Those councils that fail or are unable to reduce homelessness can expect government intervention.
Local authorities will also receive references to people at risk from its other services and the housing teams will provide them with advice services and other information.
Over the next two years Oxford will be running the pilot scheme and hope to be enticing private landlords, to take part, by the promise of rent guarantees for anyone that may be homeless, or are at threat of this.
The authority is expecting that in return for their rent support, those receiving help will have to show that they are taking the right steps to increase their incomes by undertaking a training programme regime....and sticking with it.
Oxford council has already set up a £172,000 'war chest' for the pilot scheme, which should hopefully help up to forty families, half of which are already renting privately.
The Private Rented Sector, team leader at Oxford City Council, David Rundle, said: “For the long-term, it is the only show on the road to attract private landlords to take on vulnerable tenants in our area.
“I would say that local authorities are going to have to up their guarantees to private landlords to attract them to people on low incomes.”
Participating landlords in the scheme will receive three months' rent upfront and the vulnerable families will also receive a 'bespoke' support from the authority.
David Rundle said that besides the new Bill being passed shortly their scheme is there for people who are finding it hard to cope with Universal Credit who are private tenants.
David Rundle added: “We are learning as we go and we believe we have got an attractive offer to landlords and tenants. I think it is one of many trials that should be tried to help people avoid homelessness.”
Richard Merrick of PIMS, said: "Any scheme to help homelessness has to be applauded and I am sure that the Private Rented Sector will support it. There is one concern however, what happens if after the fifty six days that the tenants in the project are still unable to pay the rent, will they continue to be subsidised by the council?"
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