THE boss who runs Wirral's YMCA said he's not seeing "the light at the end of the tunnel with homelessness and poverty" as he warns people are “in real crisis.”
150 years on from the organisation being founded, YMCA Wirral CEO Nigel Hughes feels some issues are no better than in 1874 and “in some respects it’s got a lot worse.”
The YMCA which is based on Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead offers 86 beds for those facing homelessness with 20 overnight emergency places during extreme weather.
Over the course of 2023, it helped nearly 700 people and works in close partnership with Wirral Council to try and keep people off the streets.
Statistics previously published by the council show the pressure homeless services are currently under with the number of people being placed in hotels and bed and breakfasts doubling since 2021.
A report published in March 2024 said the council had received 5,636 contacts from people saying they were being made homeless with 900 cases open at any one time, around 60 cases per officer.
The service saw a 24% increase in 2022 which continued into 2023 with the ending of private rentals being the main reason though the numbers of people roughly sleeping in Wirral are far below Liverpool levels.
However the council managed to relieve homelessness for 1,482 people over those two years and a YMCA-provided outreach service was credited for 81% reduction in homelessness since 2018.
On October 14, councillors will be asked to approve a new plan on how to spend money on homelessness services over the next 18 months until 2026. This is ahead of a review which will look at the risk of homelessness on Wirral and how to deal with it.
The council said the review is needed because "the homeless landscape, locally and nationally, has shifted significantly because of various global influences but, most particularly, following the pandemic.
"The review will therefore ensure the availability of up-to-date, reliable information and data which is central to informing commissioning activity.
"It will also ensure that the Council has a good understanding of the local housing market, the current and future demand for homeless services and needs of its customers, to deliver effective services that meet their needs."
Nigel Hughes and other staff at the YMCA, which was recently awarded the Freedom of the Borough for its work, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were facing pressure due to the early release of prisoners who have nowhere to go, lack of affordable housing, rising poverty, social housing providers not taking in homeless clients, backlogs in healthcare assessments, and asylum seekers also needing housing.
Wirral Council was praised for its work to try and tackle homelessness but cuts to local authority budgets were repeatedly brought up as a barrier to finding a long-term solution to problems.
Mr Hughes said: "There's a lot more pressure on people in society. Covid didn’t help. The cost of living crisis that came in the wake of it didn’t help.
"The gulf is widening between the haves and the have nots.
"There’s a real disparity with people being able to cope. We are already preparing for winter because we know there are people out on the streets. We know there will be people looking for cover on the cold frosty nights."
He continued: "I am going to retire in 18 months and I am going to retire not having really seen the light at the end of the tunnel with homelessness and poverty," adding: "The vast majority are here through no fault of their own.
"They are human beings. People forget they aren’t tins of bean on the shelf at the supermarket. They are human beings."
The council services up for review include the use of hostels staffed on a 24 hour basis. According to a council report published ahead of the October meeting, these services now deal “overwhelmingly with those who present with multiple, complex needs such as mental health, substance misuse and offending behaviours.”
Other services that will be commissioned include supported housing for people who may have specific needs such as refugees, mental health problems, or other accessibility requirements, semi independent housing for people “who are almost ready for independence,” while “floating support” is offered for people who were previously homeless and still need support or people who are at risk of homelessness.
At the moment, the council currently commissions 130 hostel beds, 151 beds in supported housing, 64 semi-independent accommodation, and floating support for 150 people.
These support homeless people as young as 16, teenage parents, and women fleeing domestic abuse.
The current budget for homeless services is £2.8m with 13 contracts costing between £51,000 and £466,000. The plan published by the council is estimated to cost £5.7m over two years.
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