Draft Wandsworth Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2019-2022

Overview

The Council would like to hear your views on the draft Housing and Homelessness Strategy: A Housing Offer for Wandsworth People.

The draft strategy sets out the Borough’s plans for housing and homelessness services for the period 2019-2022.  For the first time, the housing and homelessness strategies have been combined into one plan.

The strategy sets out how we will help our residents meet their housing needs and ambitions. It covers how we will work to improve social and private sector housing in the Borough, prevent homelessness and support our vulnerable residents, including rough sleepers.

The strategy follows five proposed themes, each of which plays an essential part in providing housing for the Borough:

1. Building More Homes: Wandsworth will deliver over 14,000 homes over the next five years including affordable homes for Wandsworth residents and workers, such as low-cost ownership and new Council homes. The emphasis is to provide a range of housing options for our 314,000 residents well as those who work in the Borough.
2. Proud of our Council Housing: As a landlord of some 32,000 homes we will maintain our housing and estates to beyond the Decent Homes Standard and ensure these are safe places to live. We will look to improve our services and empower our residents to ensure that the wider resident voice is heard.
3. Improving Standards for Private Renters: We will work to ensure high standards in private rented housing and take action with landlords where required. We will fully utilise additional powers that the Government has given councils to tackle poorly performing landlords and license houses in multiple occupation, and continue financial support to bring empty properties back into use.
4. Tackling Homelessness and Rough Sleeping: We will work with those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to prevent or relieve this at the earliest point, whilst also looking to liaise with, support and fund local rough sleeping agencies.  
5. Supporting Vulnerable Residents: We will deliver a range of options to help residents live safely and independently, including sheltered and supported housing schemes, as well as adaptations and telecare services. Working with Adult and children’s services, we want to provide more housing options and opportunities for the Borough’s more vulnerable residents to thrive.

We would like to hear your views on our draft strategy. What have we got right, do you agree with our objectives, and where do you feel we should prioritise our resources?

Your feedback will help us shape the development of the strategy. Please read the draft strategy document here and give us your views using the online survey below. An Equalities Impact Assessment can also be found here, which looks at potential impacts on residents with protected characteristics under Equalities legislation. 

If you need a paper copy of the documents or the questionnaire, please contact consult@wandsworth.gov.uk

Please be advised this consultation closes on 23 November 2018.