FOI request (FOIR-210838050)

Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) and homelessness.

Requested Tue 26 May 2020
Responded  Tue 23 June 2020

I hereby request the following information regarding your Council's use of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO)* (please see below the definition) and homelessness.

Questions:

1. How many rooms in HMO's were booked by the Council for each full month from September 2019 up to and including January 2020? (Please note that I do not mean new bookings, but rather I mean the total number being used by the Council during each month.)

2. What rate was being paid per night by the Council for each HMO room? If there was a range of rates charged for HMO rooms being used by the Council, please provide details of with the 3 lowest rates per night and 3 most expensive rates per night.

3. How many hotel and bed and breakfast rooms were booked by the Council to be used to house individuals who was owed a duty by the Council under homelessness legislation for each full month from September 2019 up to and including January 2020? (Please note that I do not mean new bookings, but rather I mean the total number being used by the Council during each month.)

4. How many new applications did the Council receive for homelessness from 1st September 2019 up to and including 31st January 2020?

5. Due to the Covid-19 Crisis the Government launch a scheme called 'Everyone in' which sought to ensure all rough sleepers were taken off the streets and housed during the pandemic. How many rough sleepers did the council take off the street under this Scheme?

6. Please provide the amount of emergency funding received by the Council under the 'Everyone in' scheme?

* An HMO as defined by the Government as a home where:

- at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than 1 household;

- tenants share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with other tenants

A household is either a single person or members of the same family who live together.

A family includes people who are:

- married or living together - including people in same-sex relationships

- relatives or half-relatives, for example grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings

- step-parents and step-children

https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/houses-in-multiple-occupation

Response

Q1 -

September 2019 = 3

October 2019 = 3

November 2019 = 5

December 2019 = 6

January 2020 = 1

Q2 -

3 lowest rates per night - £20, £21, £26. 3 most expensive rates per night - £38, £43, £45

Q3 -

September 2019 = 1

October 2019 = 1

November 2019 = 0

December 2019 = 0

January 2020 = 0

Q4 -

September 2019 = 88

October 2019 = 104

November 2019 = 104

December 2019 = 58

January 2020 = 101

Q5 - From 18th March, a total of 52 rough sleepers have been accommodated in Temporary Accommodation under the 'Everyone in'.

Q6 - The council has claimed £8744 so far in funding for the Everyone in initiative.