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Six North Wales Councils join forces to fight homelessness

Published: 22/01/2019

The six counties of North Wales, have joined in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru, to publish People, Homes and Services: A regional approach to tackling homelessness in North Wales. 

The six local authorities are:

• Conwy County Council

• Denbighshire County Council 

• Flintshire County Council 

• Gwynedd County Council

• Isle of Anglesey County Council

• Wrexham County Borough Council

The document sets out a regional strategy to tackling homelessness in all its forms, whether it be rough sleeping, youth homelessness, or those living in temporary accommodation waiting on a social housing waiting list. Underpinning that strategy is a regional action plan as well as six individual action plans from each local authority.

In a joint statement the six leads on housing and homelessness, said:

“This is our joint commitment to end homelessness in North Wales.

“Fundamentally, this strategy recognises that homelessness, and the issues that cause it,  has no regard for local authority boundaries and that if we are really going address this issue, then all six councils need to work together to join up data, services and solutions.

“The Welsh Government has requested that councils work more closely together and we, as the leads on homelessness in our respective authorities, recognise that tackling homelessness is an area where collaboration will work for the benefit of all our communities across the region.

“This document sets out a strategy based on working together to reach the overarching goal – eradicating homelessness in North Wales. The strategy has been developed within the context of local homelessness reviews and strategies and will inform commissioning plans and funding priorities for each local authority.”

• Cllr Craig ab lago – Gwynedd

• Cllr Liz Roberts – Conwy

• Cllr Bobby Feeley– Denbighshire

• Cllr Bernie Attridge – Flintshire

• Cllr David Griffiths – Wrexham

• Cllr Alun Wyn Mummery – Isle of Anglesey 

CIH Cymru Director Matt Dicks said: “The shortage of supply is a big contributing factor to people presenting as homeless, whether they are rough sleepers, those on social housing waiting lists, or those sleeping on a friend’s sofa without any prospect of any affordable permanent accommodation.

“But all the evidence from the individual homelessness reviews, carried out by the six North Wales local authorities to inform this strategy,  suggests a more complex explanation as to why so many are sleeping rough or waiting to be housed.

“It is about the specific groups of people in need of support, the type of homes we need to provide them with and the services that allow them to live sustainably in those homes – People, Homes and Services."

To read the North Wales Homelessness strategy click here.