A proposal to improve the standard of tenancy management and support for people living in emergency accommodation will be considered at the Cabinet meeting on 27 June.
The aim is to provide greater consistency in the way accommodation is managed and improve the service for residents living there.
The proposed pilot scheme covers around 340 units leased for the purposes of short-term emergency housing, while people's circumstances are assessed. The pilot will run for 18 months and, if successful, the model will be rolled out further.
Currently landlords who lease these properties to the council also provide the tenancy management, and the consistency of management and support standards can vary.
The aim of separating the leasing arrangements from the property management is to bring in organisations with greater experience of supporting vulnerable people.
Under the proposals, 3 or 4 providers could deliver a support service for the council’s emergency accommodation, with the level of support tailored to the needs of household.
To assess whether the scheme is successful, the council will ask existing residents to complete a survey, and then compare results against responses to the same survey at the end of the pilot period.
As well as improving the service provided for people living in emergency accommodation - and having a positive impact on their health and wellbeing - it is anticipated that the pilot scheme could save between £250,000 and £500,000 a year on current management fees.