To approve progress in implementing the Homelessness prevention and rough sleeping strategy and approve the strategic approach for project BRAVE.

The strategy is a statutory requirement and the review of progress is being undertaken in the third of the five years of its duration. A summary of the progress review is set out at Appendix B. Project Brave is a strategic partnership initiative tackling high risk homelessness and multiple complex vulnerability, which emerged rapidly during the Covid19 pandemic. A strategic approach to the further development of Project Brave is now proposed, as set out in Appendix A.

a)    Cabinet note and approve the mid-point review and progress of the Homeless Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2020 – 2025;

b)    Consider and approve the strategic approach to Project Brave; and

c)    Authority is delegated to the Corporate Director, Community Wellbeing to take all operational decisions required to implement the Project Brave Strategic approach (as set out in Appendix A), including securing and utilising any relevant external grant funding.

1. Do nothing, this is not recommended as it is a legal requirement for every Local Authority in England to have a Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy and linked action plan – the strategy has already been approved and adopted by Cabinet.

2. Not to proceed with the above outlined strategic approach and recommendations. This option is not recommended, as the council has expressed an ambition to protect and improve the lives of vulnerable people and to reduce the number of people in Herefordshire identified as homeless. Project Brave has been proven to be a success not only in accommodating individuals but with the level of support provided, through this work the more multiple complex vulnerabilities have been highlighted. There are at least 150 individuals that have been identified to have multiple complex vulnerabilities, therefore not to continue would negate the work already underway.

3. Continue with the approach to Project Brave in its current format delivering a service for homelessness, this is not recommended as there is a significant cohort of very vulnerable people and there is no other strategically driven solution for them. There is also an ongoing and inevitable co-dependency between homelessness and those other vulnerabilities and so managing both branches of the initiative together makes sense.