Witney News - Council tackles homelessness with property purchase

Council tackles homelessness with property purchase

West Oxfordshire District Council is planning to buy a property in a bid to avoid people being made homeless.

The move is designed to address the need for emergency housing and help avoid residents from being forced to move into bed and breakfast accommodation outside the District while a suitable longer term property is found.

Cllr Colin Dingwall, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “The threat of homelessness is extremely stressful and we are working hard on schemes like this to ensure people in often difficult circumstances are housed.

“It will mean they stay in the District as well as being more cost-effective while we work on a more permanent solution for them.”

The Council generally has about five households in emergency accommodation at any one time with occupation averaging 28 days.

As a result, the property is expected to be fully occupied at all times.

In the 2016-17 financial year, £38,200 was spent on emergency accommodation and it is thought this figure will be significantly reduced as a result of buying the property.

The proposal will go before the Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 15 November.

It follows the recent introduction of the Families First project which sees a dedicated project officer work with families and couples where there is a risk of homelessness occurring with the aim of preventing it.