AN EXIT strategy has been set for rough sleepers to leave hotel accommodation and into housing, scrutiny members were told.

At a virtual neighbourhoods and community service scrutiny panel on June 22 (Monday), Slough councillors were given an update on homelessness in the borough during Covid-19 and how the council plans to move rough sleepers from hotels and into secured rooms/homes.

The government required councils on March 27 – four days after lockdown was announced – to make efforts to accommodate all rough sleepers and homeless people because of the pandemic.

A report read out by Colin Moone, service lead for housing services, to councillors stated Slough Borough Council ‘moved early’ in securing 40 rooms at the Manor Hotel in Datchet on March 24 – which will last until the end of June – where 24 rough sleepers have been accommodated.

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A further 51 people have been living in other temporary accommodation across the borough.

Mr Moone said 33 units in the private sector have been secured for that cohort to make a swift exit from the Manor to move into after June – but the officer said those units are for those genuine rough sleepers as some cases were ‘taking advantage’ of the situation.

Other moves include moving rough sleepers across the borough into Serena Hall, Mallards or similar temporarily.

People staying at the hotel or in temporary accommodation have been depleting since the hotel move in date either because they have been housed, left, ejected because of bad behaviour, or have gone back to their home.

Councillor Zaffar Ajaib (Labour: Langley St Mary’s) asked if any work has been done behind the scenes for a strategy to be drawn up those individuals staying at the hotel tackling their issues whether that be drug related or mental health to prevent them being homeless again.

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Colin Moone said his team does struggle for specialist or support accommodation.

He said: “We do have to do some work in the very near future.

“We’ve got lots of general-purpose accommodation – but we don’t have that supported housing where we move people into that type of accommodation, get them ready, deal with their addiction issues, and then move them onto something suitable that probably has some support that can stay at and the continued support takes place.

“We’re very bad at that, unfortunately, and we are working on it and have identified it as an issue.”