Ipswich Borough Council will discuss its support for the Housing First project at its Executive meeting next week.
The report to councillors outlines the progress of the national initiative in Ipswich and seeks approval for the continuation of support until 2025.
Housing First is an internationally recognised model which has been operating in Ipswich since 2018. The project provides tailored support to people who have struggled to maintain accommodation in the past.
Housing First is part of the dedicated Ipswich Rough Sleeper Project, which has helped to reduce the number of people sleeping rough in the town from 27 in 2017 to 3 in 2021.
Demand for rough sleeper services has increased during 2022/23, with nine people reported in annual count data and a 30% increase in the number of people helped, with a range of interventions.
Since Housing First was adopted in Ipswich in 2018, 30 people have been supported by the project, with 20 tenancies currently.
The Housing First project in Ipswich has been part funded by the DLUHC Rough Sleeper Initiative (RSI) grant since 2020, with the remainder coming from the CCG Housing Wellbeing Fund. Ipswich Borough Council has been successful in securing the RSI grant funding for the period 2022-2025.
Councillor Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Housing, says:
“The Housing First project has proven to be very successful in Ipswich, helping us to reduce the number of homeless people on the streets.
Housing First works with the most difficult rough sleepers in Ipswich. It gives people their own front door and with intensive support from the Council, ihAg and Anglia Care Trust, we aim to end the cycle of rough sleeping by providing more than just housing.
Many of those sleeping rough also have chronic health issues, as well as social needs, which make it difficult for them to hold down a tenancy. By offering additional personal support we can not only get people off the streets but help keep them off the streets for good.”
Full papers for the Ipswich Borough Council Executive meeting on Tuesday 7 March 2023 at 6pm can be found online at: Agenda for Executive on Tuesday 7th March 2023, 6.00 pm | Democracy Online | Ipswich Borough Council
