Housing
Newcastle City Council and all our partners in the housing sector help people move away from sleeping rough and make the step change to independent living. Our work helps people sustain a home and reduce the risk of future evictions.
Prevention
- To prevent further homelessness during the COVID-19 lockdown, 237 referrals were made which resulted in 190 new tenancies for the most vulnerable individuals.
Housing First trial
- Newcastle Council and Your Homes Newcastle are piloting different accommodation types that can meet the needs of particular groups of people, for example, those suffering from mental health.
- They aim to deliver personalised and intensive support to help people remain safe whilst living in small groups in the community.
- Your Homes Newcastle has over 26,000 houses in its stock across in the city.
Reconnection
- Currently, over 50% of those rough sleeping in Newcastle have travelled from outside of the area. Our Street Zero coordinator works with other Local Authorities to ensure people are safely reconnected.
- Newcastle Housing Advice Centre and other partners have ensured that each individual is known and information is shared within the organisations to be able to identify the right accommodation options for that person.
Move on from hostels
- Many individuals who were living in hostels were moved on to independent housing as the global pandemic unfolded.
- In the last year, over 100 individuals in total have moved on into housing and are living their lives independently in social housing and Your Homes Newcastle, many for the first time.
- Further work is underway by partners to make sure individuals are supported in the right way, with any health-related issues, and ensuring they do not have to return to the streets or default on rent arrears.
Capital investment
- Agreed a longer-term aim of Newcastle Council to seek to develop at least one site that will provide approximately 20-30 safe high quality self-contained temporary accommodation. similar to the highly successful Cherry Tree House, Elswick scheme.
- Additional specialist units will be created to safeguard people who are high risk and those with high support needs.
Accommodation
- Newcastle has 779 hostel rooms available, which are operated by various individual organisations and charities overseen by partners, Home Group, and Changing Lives.
