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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
Executive Members (with Portfolios): Councillors: Richard Clark – Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Children, Families and Education David Daniels – Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing Joanne Gauden – Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration Peter Jones – Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance Sue Morgan – Executive Member for Resources Officers: Nigel Aurelius – Deputy Chief Executive Rachel Beale – Personal Assistant to Leader and Deputy Leader Niall Flack - Apprentice Democratic Services Officer Delyth Harries - Monitoring Officer and Assistant Chief Legal Officer Jason O’Brien – Strategic Director, Children and Family Services Simon Rose - Group Manager - Housing & Commissioning Other: There was one Member of the Press and the Head of Communications, Engagement and Civil Contingencies in the Public Gallery.
2.1 Apologies were received from Councillors Fiona Cross, Anthony Hunt and Mandy Owen.
3.1 There were no declarations of interest.
4.1 The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 12 September 2023 were agreed as a true and accurate record.The minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2022 were confirmed as an accurate record of the meeting
5.1 There were no actions arising from the previous meeting.
6.1 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing introduced the report which sought approval to award the contract for the provision of an accommodation and assessment hub located in Pearl House following the outcome of a tender process. He commented that he was excited by the proposal of the accommodation and assessment hub which would provide 15 units with 24-hour support. The hub would help prevent people from becoming homeless and provide them with the necessary support to get back on their feet and move on to alternative accommodation. 6.2 The Group Manager - Housing & Commissioning explained in detail the work the Housing Team had undertaken in order to get to the point where they were able to establish the accommodation and assessment hub which was an innovative model of housing and support for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. He gave details of how the team were working to manage homelessness in Torfaen better, including redesigning current shared housing provisions and establishing new provisions, revising the Homeseeker Policy and procuring more temporary accommodation. He was pleased to report that they currently did not have any individuals or families placed in hotels. The creation of the Accommodation and Assessment hub would help to alleviate homelessness by providing much needed additional units of supported housing and would be a core centre for information, advice and support, delivered using a partnership approach. 6.3 In response to questions asked, the Group Manager - Housing & Commissioning gave the following replies: • The maximum amount of time an individual would be staying at Pearl House would be six months, they would be placed there whilst referrals were made and the most suitable accommodation for their specific needs was sought. The idea of the provision was to be a short-term accommodation and Officers were hopeful that stays at Pearl House would only be six weeks. • Only one provider submitted a bid to be the provider however a rigorous process was undertaken and if Officers were not satisfied with the provider, they would have gone back out to tender, however they were happy that they met the criteria. The hub would have a robust management board in place as it was a partnership approach which would be led by a Third Party Sector. • Winter was approaching which was always a difficult time and was when homelessness peaked, however the Council was in a good position and the housing provision available was efficient for the demand they were facing. The housing team would continue to review and monitor the demand and would respond as necessary. Those currently sleeping rough were difficult to engage with, however no one was left on the streets who wished to engage with the Homelessness Team. • In semi-supported accommodation there was provision to bring in pop up beds as a short-term fix to prevent anyone being homeless, these were brought in to build resilience. 6.4 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing added that the outcome of a stay at the hub was for individuals to come from there with a more sustainable footing. The hub would be demand based however the housing situation was volatile. The support provided at the hub would be tailored to individuals. The Executive Member stated that he had requested a multi-agency meeting to monitor rough sleepers. Winter was the peak time for people reporting homelessness so more engagement would be undertaken with the Council’s Communication Team to inform people of the work the Housing Team were doing. 6.5 Member commented that it was an excellent project which would ensure that people were getting the right support due to the partnership approach in a central location. The development would help prevent pressure on the system and also prevent further distress to individuals. Due to the scheme being a resource intensive support hub and given the fact that grant funding was under a huge pressure, it was felt that it was important to have good monitoring data on the success of the approach in terms of diverting individuals with complex needs needing further services. It was asked that detailed and wider monitoring outcomes of the project be built in from the start to allow the Council to defend it as value for money proposition. Members asked that their thanks be passed on to the team for their fantastic work. 6.6 Cabinet agreed that the contract for the provision of the Accommodation and Assessment Hub is awarded to provider 1 following the outcome of a tender process.
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