RBWM is stepping up its support for the homeless during winter including expanding its offer of emergency accommodation.
The Royal Borough activated its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) last week when temperatures plummeted.
Under SWEP anyone who is homeless in the area can contact the council’s housing team. The team will then source emergency temporary accommodation for them. This offer was taken up by seven local people last week.
Having reviewed local needs, the borough’s SWEP will now cover the winter months regardless of whether the temperature drops below zero or not.
The council is actively working with the homeless charity Brett Foundation to open two centres to provide support and emergency accommodation for vulnerable people. One of these is ready to lease and the other will open in the new year.
In the interim the use of extended emergency temporary accommodation, including using the Town Hall if necessary, will safeguard those most in need until the centre is able to open.
Cllr Simon Dudley, leader of the council, said: “By activating the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, local homeless people will be helped into emergency accommodation to protect them when the weather is at its worst.
“Our intention is to ensure all our local vulnerable people are helped to secure accommodation so that they do not sleep outside in the cold weather. Where needed, the council will use any of its buildings that could be utilised for emergency accommodation.
“I am pleased with the great progress we have made with the Brett Foundation to help them open these new centres, but they are not open yet and we need to do all we can now to secure warm accommodation for our residents in the short term as well.
“We are committed to doing more to help those at risk and I would encourage anyone who is fearful they may have nowhere to stay to contact us. Our officers have more intervention options the earlier they become aware of a potential issue.”
In partnership with the Brett Foundation a four-bed accommodation unit at Braywick Park and a seven-bed emergency accommodation centre in Howarth Road, Maidenhead are being created and are due to open in the new year.
The council’s housing options team successfully prevented about 1,500 households from becoming homeless between April 2015 and March 2016 and rehoused 230 in housing association accommodation.
Our homelessness prevention can help a household to remain in their current home through mediation with their landlord, offering advice and assistance on mortgage difficulties and sourcing accommodation with the assistance of a deposit loan. We also offer legal advice to landlords and tenants on all types of tenancy enquiries.
The team work with local charities and run regular housing options surgeries. You can speak to an officer either at the Town Hall, Maidenhead or at York House, Windsor.
If you are a landlord and wish to contact the housing options team to discuss renting your property to our customers, call 01628 683673 or 01628 683800.