Bridgend Council is set to launch a consultation on a new five-year housing support strategy (pdf).
As of July 2023, there are more than 2,300 applicants on the county’s common housing register and in 2020-21 the council saw the highest number of requests for homelessness support (1,612) before falling during 2021-22.
The problems are made worse by a lack of social housing (with demand massively outstripping supply) and a shortage of private rental properties.
In March 2020 there were just under 9,400 social houses in Bridgend county supplied by 10 different social landlords – though the majority (8,672 combined) are supplied by the Valleys 2 Coast, Wales & West and Hafod housing associations.
One of the headline aims of the new policy is to clear the backlog of households in temporary accommodation. BCBC hopes to reduce the backlog to pre-pandemic levels – and then only use temporary accommodation as a last resort – within 5 years (3 years for those with high or intensive needs).
There are six main goals of the new strategy are :
Increase the supply of affordable and social housing – Bridgend county needs an estimated 5,133 social and affordable properties by 2033, with demand greatest in the Bridgend (particularly Brackla), Porthcawl and Cornelly areas. 1 and 2-bedroom properties are most in demand. The aims include increasing the number of private rental properties, making the best use of social housing grants from the Welsh Government and repurposing existing buildings.
Introduce a rapid rehousing programme – The aims include reducing the reliance on temporary housing, reviewing social housing allocation policies and longer-term solutions such as BCBC owning more temporary accommodation themselves.
Improve the housing response service – Ensuring there are enough staff, that people know what homelessness support is available and that housing support services are accessible to everyone.
Work with other agencies on homelessness prevention – This includes improving data collection on homelessness, closer working with Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board and promoting independent living for care-leavers.
Improve housing support services for those with complex needs – A sizable proportion of people seeking housing support have mental or physical disabilities or have experienced domestic abuse.
Be more proactive in keeping rough-sleeping numbers down – This means reviewing homelessness outreach programmes so they are “more assertive” and ensuring that where rough-sleeping occurs it’s “brief and non-recurring”.
