Decision details

Last year, the Council was successful in a bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Rough Sleepers Initiative Grant for funding for 2018/19; £25,000 of this was to increase the commissioned Rough Sleepers Outreach Service to fund additional outreach work in 2018/19.

This year, the Council has again been successful in obtaining a Rough Sleepers Initiative Grant from MHCLG.

On 12^th July 2019, the Director of Housing and Neighbourhoods approved the acceptance of this grant from the MHCLG for 2019/20, including the approval to make a further £25,000 available to the Housing Independence Service to pay to the outreach service provider, Framework Housing Association, to continue to provide an additional, temporary outreach worker.

This report seeks approval to vary the current contract for the Rough Sleepers Outreach Service to enable the £25,000 funding from this grant to be passed onto Framework Housing Association.

To approve the variation to the Housing Independence Service’s Rough Sleeper Outreach Service contract to increase the contract value by £25,000, in line with the report.

The grant from the MHCLG will enable the continued provision of a temporary outreach worker for one year to assist in testing approaches to tackling rough sleeping in Sheffield. It will enable the Council and its partners to target the most vulnerable people sleeping rough, or at risk of street homelessness.

Approval to vary Housing Independence Service’s Rough Sleeper Service contract will enable the grant payment for the worker to be made to Framework on a monthly basis to enable the post holder to assist with the Council’s duties.

No other alternative options were considered as the Housing Independence Service already has a contract in place with Framework to deliver an outreach service to rough sleepers. The continued funding of this post will enable the extension of that service and therefore, it would be appropriate to vary the contract to extend the funding for the service to meet the requirements of the successful bid.