Funding agreed to provide settled homes for homeless in Oxford

Oxford City Council has agreed £2m in funding to provide settled homes for people with experience of or at risk of rough sleeping.

Cabinet confirmed the investment in the Resonance National Homelessness Property 2 Fund (NHPF2), which will help create a £6m fund to buy properties that would house around 47 people with low to medium support needs moving on from temporary accommodation, supported housing and the streets.

The Council’s contribution will be match funded by social impact investment company Resonance, which created and manages the fund, and the Council has also submitted a bid to the government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) for £2m in capital funding and £543,000 in support costs.

The NHP2F will allow the purchase of 10 shared houses in Oxford, providing homes for at least 30 people, with another 17 one-bed flats to be purchased in nearby areas.

Cllr Diko Blackings, cabinet member for affordable housing, housing security and housing the homeless, said: ‘The gap between local housing allowance rates and actual rents makes it difficult for people to move on from temporary accommodation, supported housing or the streets. Investing in the NHPF2 means we can keep providing suitable and affordable homes for single people with experience of or at risk of rough sleeping. The NHPF2 is a cost-effective homelessness prevention option, with the additional benefit of being a social investment for the council.’

The Council previously invested £10m in an earlier Resonance Fund, NHPF, which bought 229 homes around the UK for people affected by homelessness, including 69 in Oxford.

John Williams, managing director of property funds at Resonance, said: ‘We are delighted to receive this second investment from Oxford City Council into our National Homelessness Property funds, which provides an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Oxford, as well as providing a solution to a significant local housing issue. It means that people in the city in need of stable housing but unable to access the private rental market can be provided with a safe and affordable home and, with support from Response, can start to rebuild their lives.’

In related news, A2Dominion’s Care and Support team will deliver a new Housing First project in partnership with Oxford City Council from September.

Photo by Tim Bechervaise