A new homelessness prevention strategy, the first of its kind, has been approved by Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet.

At the heart of the strategy is both rapid response when someone becomes at risk, and a focus on individual needs to provide greater levels of support.

Funding of £3.8million will contribute to its delivery.

Wherever possible, it is proposed to keep people in their local area where long-term housing solutions can be found – rather than needing to travel to Oxford for accommodation and support.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Adult Social Care, said: “There has been a huge amount of goodwill and practical co-operation from the county council as a provider of adult social care, the district councils in their crucial role as housing authorities, and the NHS in putting this plan together."

There are also plans to intervene early to prevent homelessness, whether there is a statutory duty or not, and to deliver tenancy sustainment support countywide.

This includes proactively using data to identify those who may be at risk of losing accommodation, or of being discharged without accommodation in place.

Plans also include providing access to advocacy and informal support from peer mentors, a range of provision for people coming directly from the streets, and flexible accommodation for single people or couples.

Additionally, the strategy will aim to create greater support for more vulnerable rough sleepers, such as women and those from LGBTQ+ communities.

The strategy proposes a new housing-led model to help eradicate supported housing where people often get ‘stuck’.

This includes a Housing First approach, which aims to deliver up to 50 units per year of self-contained accommodation with intensive support.