Croydon has stepped up support for residents at risk of homelessness, with a new focus on prevention and early help as part of its housing improvement drive.
Residents at risk of homelessness are being seen and helped sooner, with assessment waiting times more than halved in recent months.
As part of the improvements the council has identified people living in temporary accommodation who were not receiving the housing benefit they were entitled to. New rent accounts have been set up for these tenants who are now claiming benefits and as a result, the council has received an additional £4.5m of unclaimed housing benefit income.
This follows a restructure of Croydon housing needs and homelessness service, to allow a much more tailored service to meet residents’ needs, and to make sure that those who find themselves homeless on the day can see or speak to an officer to get the help they need.
The council has supported 2,700 households in temporary accommodation to activate their housing register applications, which allows residents to take an active role and bid for available council and housing association properties.
Housing officers have also worked with Crisis and St Mungo’s – specialist charities that support vulnerable adults – to make the housing advice and homelessness application form easier to complete.
In addition, residents needing help with their housing situation are now assessed and supported with a personalised housing plan to help resolve issues. This has already resulted in new temporary accommodation placement rates reducing from 60% to 25%, freeing up the accommodation for those who need it in an emergency, and reduced the cost to the council by approximately £13.5m a year.
These improvements align with the Executive Mayor of Croydon’s Business Plan, which sets to prevent homelessness by providing early advice, guidance and appropriate support.
A report on the improvements has been published here and was approved by cabinet last night (15 July).
To keep the momentum for improvements and to set the strategic direction for the future of the housing needs and homelessness service a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-2029 has been developed in detailed consultation with residents, partners and staff.
The strategy, which cabinet approved in April 2024 and full council will review later this month, sets out the council’s approach to continuing to improve the service and make sure it complies with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said: “Improving housing services and treating residents with respect is so important to me, and these updates demonstrate the amount of work that has gone into transforming the service so far.
“Homelessness and rough sleeping have increased nationally and even more so in London, and with the growing shortage and increased demand for accommodation, it’s a real challenge for Croydon. This is why it’s more important than ever that our services are appropriately supporting residents at an earlier stage before they reach crisis point.
“It is great to acknowledge that a lot has been done, that we are seeing people more quickly and making it easier for residents to get in touch when they need us. That said, we know there is much more to do and we will continue to work with our residents and partners as we continue to transform the service.”
