Teignbridge Council has developed a new preventative scheme to assist people with housing needs, in a bid to reduce homelessness. The Housing Options Team (formerly the Housing Advice and homelessness section) has implemented a new scheme which will support people in the early stages of housing need, and minimise the risk of anyone being threatened with homelessness. This will help address increased pressure to reduce the number of people needing temporary accommodation, and also tackle current demands on the Housing Need Register. The team has been given further training to deliver the new agenda using various preventative methods including officers acting as mediators who will work with families to try and resolve disputes that lead to homelessness. Other methods include helping to negotiate behaviour contracts, arranging short-term accommodation in volunteer homes and referring individuals to counselling. These 'good practices' were recognised by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), in furthering the homelessness prevention agenda. Cllr David Weekes, Teignbridge spokesman for community services said: 'The main cause of homelessness is family breakdown, which can leave young people in vulnerable positions, with a depleted support network. 'The new scheme is all about early intervention, working to resolve disputes and providing support to ensure individuals have every chance to succeed,' The Housing Options Team is now looking to working with private landlords to increase the amount of accommodation available locally, dispel misconceptions of people reliant on benefits, and assist if problems occur within a tenancy.
