Homelessness in Yorkshire: Strategy to help end homelessness and rough sleeping in Barnsley over the next five years in response to issues such as the cost of living crisis and a lack of affordable housing options for residents to be reviewed

The strategy, which was developed alongside key partners, explores how to prevent homelessness in the first place and make sure residents get the support they need.

Building on what Barnsley Council has worked on over the last five years, the plans also cover how to help those who are homeless or sleeping rough to build a better future.

There have already been approaches made to support those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including:

- Strengthening relationships with housing providers

- Providing more tailored support for frequent rough sleepers

- Developing the Barnsley Homeless Alliance, bringing together key partners across Barnsley

- Creating its Housing Led Support Team, offering safe, stable accommodation to help those sleeping rough develop new skills and turn things around

The new strategy will help respond to new issues facing communities, including the cost of living crisis and a lack of affordable housing options for residents.

A key focus will be on making sure families get the support they need sooner, offering better ways forward for those who may face homelessness now and in the future.

The vision behind the strategy is working in partnership to end homelessness in Barnsley; this highlights the need to work together to prevent homelessness and make sure people in our communities get the right support at the right time.

Barnsley Council worked with a variety of partners to develop the new strategy, including colleagues in its Homeless Alliance. This helped to focus on five key priorities for the strategy:

- Preventing homelessness and early intervention, including for young people

- Supporting those with complex needs and reducing the cycle of homelessness

- Improving access to housing, especially in the private rented sector

- Reducing the use and cost of temporary accommodation

- Developing a system-wide approach to housing and health

Cabinet spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, Coun Wendy Cain, said: “We know that homelessness isn’t something we can tackle alone, which is why I’m delighted to see working together at the heart of this new strategy.

“Refreshing the strategy will help us to respond to the challenges currently facing our communities, including supporting families struggling with the cost of living crisis. This is an area where, locally and nationally, we’re seeing people need more support and we want to make sure we can help them earlier before they reach crisis.

“I would like to thank our colleagues and partners for their continued commitment to supporting our communities and tackling homelessness.”