The Panel considered the report of the
Assistant Chief Executive introducing the concepts and the speakers
setting the context for the Inquiry.
The Panel received presentations from the
South East Regional Manager of Homeless Link, the Council’s
Housing Needs Manager, the Commissioner for Supporting People and
Adult Care Services, and a Consultant Nurse from Homeless
Healthcare Team.
On hearing the presentation from Homeless Link
the Panel noted:
- the key principles of the
organisation;
- the organisations view of the
current national context for homelessness and health detailing:
- the current statistics, trends and
numbers of homeless;
- how the Health Needs Audit tool was
an important in identifying what was needed to address issues
relating to health matters;
- the health inequality trends of the
Homeless. It was noted that:
- 80% of homeless people have more
than one physical health need;
- 70% have at least one mental health
problem;
- rough sleepers are more than 200
times more likely to have tuberculosis;
- the average age of death for a
homeless individual was between 43-47; and
- 50-75% of rough sleepers have mental
disorder such as anxiety, depression and psychosis.
- the wider costs to individuals, the
National Health Service and society as a whole;
- barriers to the homeless accessing
the right services including:
- difficulties with registering for
medical support;
- a lack of integration of services to
support individuals; and
- the tendency for the homeless fall
beneath treatment thresholds because their needs are too complex;
and
- the Southampton perspective the
Panel noted that;
- Southampton’s approach to
homelessness was seen as a national good example;
- Southampton was one of the first
areas to carry out the Homeless Health Audit;
- the City has a Homeless Health team
- A multi-disciplinary primary care team providing care to homeless
people in Southampton;
- the services available to homeless
in Southampton including:
Ø
Southampton Street Intensive and Resettlement Service –
including an in house needle exchange;
Ø
St James - a home for vulnerable older people with a history of
homelessness; and
Ø
Two Saints - Introduction of Psychologically Informed Environments
into all their hostels and
Ø
The Breathing Spaces Project.
The Panel received introductions to the
Council’s policy perspective on the provision of services to
combat homelessness and improvement of health services from the
Cabinet Members for Housing and Sustainability and Health and Adult
Social Care.
The Panel also considered further evidence
relating to the local situation from the City Council’s
Housing Needs Manager, the Commissioner for Supporting People and
Adult Social Care Services and a Consultant Nurse from the Homeless
Healthcare Team including:-
- an overview of the City’s
housing stock including the level of income required for 1 and 2
bedroom starter home compared with the median gross income within
the City,
- the numbers of Households of the
Council’s waiting list and the high demand for one bedroom
properties;
- that City’s statutory
obligations for certain types of individuals;
- the potential impact of welfare
reform.
- statistics relating to:
- homeless applications by priority
need;
- rough sleeping in Southampton;
and
- triggers causing rough sleeping in
Southampton.
- measures taken to tackle rough
sleeping in Southampton;
- the various levels of help that the supporting people services
are able to supply;
- the emphasis on prevention and
enablement for potential services users aiming to resolve issues
before they declined any further;
- how the Homeless Health Care Team
aims to support individuals;
- the health trends and concerns
affecting by homelessness and how the local services were
structured to tackle these.
RESOLVED that the
presentations made by Homeless Link, the Council’s Housing
Needs Manager, the Commissioner for Supporting People and Adult
Care Services, and a Consultant Nurse from Homeless Healthcare
Team, be noted and the information provided be entered into the
Inquiry’s file of evidence.