Leeds plan sets targets to prevent homelessness

Two action plans are due to go before the council’s executive board as the city responds to rising demand for housing support.

Leeds City Council’s executive board is due to consider a partnership-led plan to prevent homelessness at its meeting on 18 November. The plans set out how the city intends to support the Government’s national homelessness strategy, which aims to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring by shifting the focus from crisis response to prevention.

The council has developed two action plans alongside its Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023–2028. One focuses on preventing homelessness; the other sets out a longer-term partnership approach to rough sleeping. The council says the plans update its existing work in response to changes in the housing market and patterns of need.

Earlier support and coordinated services

The plans propose clearer responsibilities between services, earlier intervention when someone’s housing is at risk, and a more coordinated response when homelessness occurs. For rough sleeping, the approach is intended to identify people earlier and combine outreach with tailored support and longer-term help.

Leeds says it has consistently performed above the national average for successful homelessness prevention. Its work has helped households stay in their homes or find alternative accommodation, and reduced the need for temporary accommodation. However, the council says demand for help remains high compared with that in similar cities.

The plans are being introduced alongside the national Rough Sleeping Programme, through which Leeds has received £1.6 million. The first phase is expected to provide 39 additional accommodation spaces and expand outreach and other support. This includes navigation and intensive intervention, specialist provision for women, drug and alcohol treatment, general health support and help to sustain tenancies.

Health and housing support

Council representatives have said that preventing homelessness requires cooperation between housing, healthcare, mental health and drug and alcohol services, particularly for people with multiple or complex needs. The plans also identify trauma-informed working across services as an area of focus.

The council says its existing strategy remains aligned with the national plan, while the new action plans are intended to strengthen delivery as pressures change. The proposed approach includes housing advice, financial assistance, tenancy support and work with landlords and housing providers to increase rehousing opportunities.

The action plans and their proposed frameworks and targets are included in the report listed as Agenda Item 6 for the executive board meeting. The board is expected to consider the proposals on 18 November; the information provided does not state that they have already been approved.