With hundreds of people waiting on the housing register in Oxford, there is plenty of uncertainty at this time of year to secure accommodation.
The latest figures show 2,780 people in the city are waiting on the housing register but only 490 properties are becoming vacant each year, with a 10-20 year wait.
There is also indication of an almost doubling in homelessness in the city this year.
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Additional obligations have been placed on local authorities to prevent rough sleeping since introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2017.
This explainer looks at the options for finding accommodation in Oxford and what services are available for those at risk of homelessness.
Whose responsibility?
Responsibility of providing accommodation to rough sleepers falls primarily on the city council though Oxfordshire County Council adds that it can still offer “advice about housing that includes care and support”.
The city council outsources some of its services such as through the Aspire homeless prevention service, independent advice agencies, and UK homelessness charity St Mungo’s.
Support is also available from the Oxfordshire Homeless Alliance, with its annual budget of £3.8million.
The city council is working with the homeless support organisation Resonance to provide privately rented homes.
This partnership has “housing-led approaches” to support people who have “complex and often unmet support needs”.
Demand "continues to be high"
For immediate support, rough sleepers are referred by Aspire Oxfordshire to UK homelessness charity St Mungo’s.
The charity goes on to refer those in immediate need to the council.
St Mungo's OxSPOT is commissioned by Oxford City Council to provide a comprehensive outreach service for rough sleepers in Oxford.
Guidance issued by St Mungo's states: “If you are homeless, sleeping rough or facing a housing crisis, your first priority should be to contact your local authority’s Housing Options team to find out what help they can offer.”
St Mungo’s OxSPOT outreach co-ordinator Tom Senior, said: "The outreach team are out early morning six days a week responding to new referrals or engaging with known rough sleepers.
“Often there is not an immediate accommodation option for people who are rough sleeping and demand for our services and all accommodation services across Oxfordshire continues to be high."
He added: “If the temperature falls to zero or below on any one night then emergency beds are opened.”
A perspective from someone on the street
Sleeping rough in Queen Street near the Westgate Centre is Nancy, 37, who has not revealed her surname.
She said: "I got chewed up and spat out by the system.
“I do not want to engage with it.
“They do not want you to get housed.
“They treat you like subhuman.”
According to the city council, there is “lots of advice about help that is available” on seeking accommodation.
A council spokesman said: “Many people experiencing rough sleeping have multiple unmet needs that can include substance dependencies, mental health and trauma.
“These unmet needs can make it difficult for us to engage with people and we will keep offering support even where this is initially refused."
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