Help shape social housing

from North Somerset Direct Local Magazine August 2022

Poets Walk

HELP SHAPE HOW SOCIAL HOUSING IS LET IN THE CITY..

Bristol City Council is reviewing the way it lets council and social housing, to ensure that people are housed in homes that meet their needs, giving priority to those in greatest need, and making the application process easier.

The review will give the council the opportunity to look at who is housed, and why, and develop options for how to let social housing in the future. They hope to hear from people across the city, including people living in social housing or currently on the waiting list. They will also be working with housing providers and organisations in the advice and voluntary sector. Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes, said: “We need to take action. There are rising numbers of people becoming homeless and the increasingly unaffordable cost of housing in Bristol is creating more demand for social housing and increasing pressure on HomeChoice Bristol.

“The aim is to find the best way to create and support mixed and balanced communities, without disadvantaging those people with the greatest need. “It is vitally important that we get the views of people who are on the waiting list, or have recently been housed, to make sure they agree with what is being proposed following our extensive research phase. “One of our greatest challenges is balancing the very high need for homes in Bristol, against a very limited pool of available properties. We need to make the best use of these properties, and have to manage the expectations of people on the register. “We want to make the housing letting process fair, easy to use and transparent for all who use it and give people choice wherever possible in meeting their housing need.”

IDEAS BEING CONSULTED ON INCLUDE:

Moving to a ‘managed choice’ system where the council can be more proactive in helping someone find a home.

• Extending the use of local letting policies. • Changes to priority groups, including giving top priority to care leavers and under-occupiers. • There are currently nearly 18,000 households on the housing waiting list in Bristol, and more than 1,100 house holds in temporary accommodation.

In addition, it is expected that the increasingly unaffordable cost of housing in Bristol will continue to contribute to demand for social housing and therefore pressures on the lettings scheme. Ally Rush, Strategic Lead for Shelter Bristol, said: “Shelter Bristol has welcomed the opportunity to be involved in Bristol City Council’s Housing Allocations Review. In preparing our comments and feedback, we were able to include the experiences of our service users and volunteers, particularly those who attended workshops in early 2020, before the process was paused. “We have strongly recommended that BCC reviews the technology and processes behind the Home Choice system.

This does not directly address the shortage of social housing in the city but many of the most common issues reported with the system are due to it being poorly designed and outdated. Addressing this would allow decision making in the council to become more transparent and support officers in sharing messaging about the process and where people are. "We feel that BCC has taken our recommendations seriously and hope to see positive change implemented going forward.”

The survey will be open until Friday 7 October. To find out more and to give your views please visit www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/ housing-allocations

You can request a paper copy, alternative format or translated version of the survey by contacting the housing team by email at lettings.review@bristol.gov.uk or by phone on 0117 3521444.