Decision details

Consideration was given to a report of the Executive Director for Place and Economic Growth which sought approval to enter into a grant agreement with Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Under the proposed grant agreement, Oldham have been allocated grants funding that would enable the expansion and continued delivery of three services dedicated to supporting residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness between 2022-25.

The Council were currently delivering three specific services that are intrinsically linked by virtue of the support they provided to people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. The three respective service were:

-       A Bed Every Night (ABEN)

-       Community Accommodation Support Tier 3 (CAS-3)

-       Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI)

For the Council to secure the funding needed to continue delivering these vital services locally and to formalise monitoring and reporting arrangements, it needed to enter into a grant agreement with Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The services had been operational for a number of years, save for CAS-3 which was entering its second year of delivery following a successful pilot year (2021-22).

The identified services that GMCA sought to provide ongoing funding between 2022-25 were very much embedded in Oldham and were seen as vital services support the ongoing delivery of its Homelessness Prevention and Reduction Strategy and Central Government’s Ending Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Options /alternatives considered

Option 1 – Do not enter into grant agreement with GMCA. Proceeding with this option would result in the Council being unable to deliver the 3 projects detailed in this report and increased numbers of rough sleepers in Oldham during a period of significant homelessness and pressure, which is further exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.

Options 2 – Enter into agreement with GMCA to continue delivering ABEN, CAS-3 and RSI programmes. Taking this approach would enable the Council to continue funding provision that prevents rough sleeping in the borough. The grant available will fund ongoing temporary accommodation placements for rough sleepers and individuals open to HMPPS, not owed a statutory accommodation duty by the LA. The funds will also make resources available that would stimulate move on into alternative, settled accommodation.

RESOLVED- That the Cabinet would consider the commercially sensitive information at Item 18 before making a decision.