Share your views on the interim scheme using empty council homes as temporary accommodation

We want residents’ views on our short-term scheme using empty council homes to improve support for homeless households and ease increasing costs of temporary accommodation.

As a response to the acute pressures on the city’s homelessness services, we introduced an interim scheme to use some vacant council homes as temporary accommodation for homeless households rather than let them to people on the city’s housing register between 19 January and 1 May.

The key focus is improving support for families with children in temporary accommodation and reducing the numbers of households needing to be placed outside of the city.

We’re anticipating this short-term measure will make up to 80 empty homes available for temporary accommodation, and save in the region of £0.75 million over the coming year. However, it will cause delays for some people currently on the housing register bidding for homes.

As part of our review of the interim scheme and the potential to extend the use of empty council homes as temporary accommodation when the interim scheme ends, we’re seeking feedback on the scheme.

We’re particularly keen to hear from Brighton & Hove households on the housing register waiting for a council home or a transfer, households currently in temporary or emergency accommodation provided by Brighton & Hove City Council, and current Brighton & Hove council tenants and leaseholders.

The consultation is open until Wednesday 1 April.

Improving support

The aim of the interim scheme is to address the instability for households arising from nightly or short term accommodation, reduce the numbers of households needing to be placed outside of the city and reduce the significant spend on short term accommodation which does not represent either best value for the council or the accommodation that people need.

The priority for the accommodation is families with children, households currently placed outside the city, and those in nightly paid temporary accommodation where there will be demonstrated health or educational benefits.

The proposal being looked at is the option of continuing the use of vacant council homes as temporary accommodation for up to a maximum of 100 additional properties over a further 12 months. We estimate that would involve around 20% of the council homes that become available for letting over a year.

Some empty homes are exempt from the policy – seniors housing properties, mobility-adapted properties and housing association properties. The council also retains the right to allocate homes to households on the housing register in certain exceptional circumstances, which are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Have your say

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “We introduced this short-term scheme to improve the support for homeless families and help ease the increasing homelessness crisis our city is facing.

“One of the key priorities in our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025 to 2030 is to increase supply and standards in temporary accommodation, and we have a number of schemes in place to do that – including developing more council-owned and managed temporary accommodation.

“But we need to act now to ease the acute pressure on temporary accommodation support. We believe this measure will have positive impact on mental and physical health, particularly for children and vulnerable adults.

“We’re now inviting resident’s views on the scheme and the scheme and the option of extending it for up to a maximum of 100 additional properties over a further 12 months. Please do take part in the consultation to have your say.”

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