The Housing Assurance Board met to discuss the council's approach to homelessness and housing needs, reviewing the current pressures, national strategies, and service performance. Key discussions focused on demand management, temporary accommodation, and customer experience, with a commitment to improving data collection and strategic planning.

Homelessness and Housing Needs Overview

The board received an overview of homelessness services and housing needs in Croydon, noting that the borough faces acute pressure due to high demand, limited move-on capacity, and the high cost of temporary accommodation. This situation is exacerbated by the London housing market context, with affordability and procurement costs being particularly challenging. The report highlighted that Croydon has approximately 171,736 dwellings, with a significant shift towards the private rented sector (PRS), which now accounts for 31% of homes. The PRS in Croydon experiences higher rates of overcrowding and damp and mould compared to national averages.

Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy: A National Plan to End Homelessness

A briefing was provided on the UK Government's A National Plan to End Homelessness, published in December 2025. This strategy aims to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring by focusing on prevention rather than crisis management. It includes a commitment to building 1.5 million homes, reforming the private rented sector through the Renters' Rights Act, and investing £3.4 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over three years. The plan also sets national targets for halving long-term rough sleeping and eliminating the use of Bed & Breakfast accommodation for families by the end of the Parliament.

Homelessness Demand Management

The board received an update on homelessness demand management, noting a 50% increase in applications in 2024/25, averaging 400 per month. However, new placements into temporary accommodation (TA) had reduced to 13% of all applications, a significant improvement from the previous year's average of 25%. Actions taken include promoting self-service options, implementing an 'appointment only' service, and working with private landlords to reduce evictions through initiatives like 'call before you serve'. The council is also investing in financial modelling tools to better understand the savings generated by these interventions.

Temporary Accommodation

An update on temporary accommodation revealed that 70% of households are placed within Croydon, with 30% located outside the borough. The trend showed an increase in TA until February 2025, which was then reduced by the implementation of a stabilisation plan and new strategies and policies. This has resulted in a 10% reduction in households in temporary accommodation, from 3,665 at the end of March 2025 to 3,287 at the end of January 2026. Risks identified include volatile demand and costs, legal challenges, workforce capacity issues, supply constraints, and high inflow into Croydon from other boroughs.

Customer Experience

The board heard about improvements to the customer experience of homelessness services. The service transitioned to an 'appointment only' model in September 2023, which has significantly reduced waiting times for appointments to around two weeks. A pilot with the Corporate Contact Centre to handle all telephone calls has also improved response times, with an aim to resolve 80% of calls within the contact centre. While there has been a high level of complaints, often due to the complexity of cases and the vulnerability of complainants, work is underway to improve complaint handling, including the transfer of Stage 2 casework ownership to the Housing Service.

Forward Plan

The board reviewed the Forward Plan, identifying potential deep dive items for future meetings, including the Rent Standard, rent convergence, Ofgem regulation of heat networks, and HR issues. The Chair also proposed the introduction of one-page updates on less complex issues.

Other Business

The board was updated on the Regina Road redevelopment, with works commencing on 26 March 2026. Discussions also touched upon the process for reviewing compensation payments for complaints and Ombudsman determinations.

The meeting concluded with thanks to the officers and board members for their contributions.