City council’s milestone year for tackling homelessness in Milton Keynes

Homelessness is a national challenge. Supporting people who are facing it, as well as doing more to prevent others from falling victim to it, are key priorities in the city’s Council Plan.

Around 175 local families approach the city council for help each month. Last year the council spent more than £18 million on providing emergency accommodation to residents facing homelessness.

On World Homeless Day last year, the city council introduced a top up scheme to help more families move into private rented homes.

In situations where rent is unaffordable, the city council tops up the difference between what a tenant can afford and what a landlord can reasonably expect.

The scheme also provides financial incentives to landlords who can offer long term, secure tenancies. It has helped more than 115 families, and around 150 landlords have signed up to it.

The council’s ‘Call Before You Serve’ initiative helps renters who are in dispute with their landlord.

It prevents homelessness before it happens, by offering mediation between landlords and tenants before eviction notices are served.

An estimated 35 evictions have been avoided since July due to the scheme, plus reducing the financial and emotional cost of legal proceedings.

Residents who still find themselves homeless, perhaps because of a no-fault eviction, are now less likely to be housed in emergency B&B accommodation far outside the city. More than 400 smaller families have been temporarily housed in Harben House in Newport Pagnell in the last year after the city council struck a deal to book the hotel in full.

This saved over £400,000 on paying for B&Bs and other spaces night by night.

City council teams run cooking clubs and other activities at the hotel to help families get to know each other.

A new, larger facility has been opened in Fishermead for people who had been sleeping rough.

It’s helped more than 50 residents move into secure, long-term homes, providing ongoing mental health and other support.

Many people are now renting successfully, have reconnected with family or moved into council housing.

There is always space at the facility and the city council’s outreach teams are in regular contact with rough sleepers.

This common-sense approach to tackling homelessness was commended by a group of independent experts who spent four days in Milton Keynes earlier this year as part of a Local Government Association corporate peer challenge.

Councillor Ed Hume, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “While tackling homelessness remains a significant challenge for all councils including in Milton Keynes, this has been a milestone year for us as we’ve introduced some major initiatives that are already showing an impact.

“We’re helping local people find safe, stable homes while doing more to prevent homelessness.

“This is all against a bigger backdrop where we’re building more council homes and encouraging developers to build more affordable homes.”