The newly-formed Homelessness Strategic Board is appealing for members of the public, statutory partners and representatives from the community and voluntary sector in Kenilworth to provide feedback on their strategy to tackle homelessness within Warwickshire.

The board has been formed by Warwickshire County Council and partners including the five borough and district councils, Warwickshire Police, Probation and the NHS. It aims to prevent homelessness across the county.

The new collective will work to the principles of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 – which introduced fundamental changes to how local authorities assess and assist homeless applicants. The intention of the Act is to give a greater focus on prevention.

In line with the working objectives of the Act, the Homelessness Strategic Board and its partners, will look to incorporate five overarching, strategic priorities:

- To reduce the inequalities and improve the health of people at risk of homelessness, homeless or sleeping rough in Warwickshire.

- To enhance and improve services that prevent homelessness among young people.

- To prevent domestic abuse and the crisis homelessness resulting from it wherever possible.

- To deliver better-focussed housing and related support services for those at risk of homelessness on leaving prison

- To ensure that a wide range of appropriate services are available to support those at risk of homelessness due to financial difficulties.

The board is currently planning to publish the final strategy in Spring 2021.

Having announced their plans, the Homelessness Strategic Board is seeking views on the overarching priorities and recommendations within the draft strategy. They are asking from input from members of the public, statutory partners and representatives from the community and voluntary sector.

To give your views on the draft strategy, please visit the Ask Warwickshire website and search for 'Draft Warwickshire Homelessness Strategy.'

The strategy engagement period has already opened and will close on November 1. Specific queries can be directed to [email protected].