PCD 1544 Pan London Housing Reciprocal

PCD 1544 Pan London Housing Reciprocal 

This Decision seeks approval to extend the existing Pan London Housing Reciprocal pilot service for six months from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 at a cost of £85,000.  

It also seeks approval to decommission Safer London in their delivery of the Mayor’s Housing Moves pathway which GLA Housing & Land intend to deliver in house from 1 April 2024. 

This Decision comes after PCD1306 which approved a 12-month extension of the Reciprocal to enable an in-depth review of the pilot model and options appraisal to inform future commissioning decisions on the future of the scheme. 

Following completion of the options appraisal, a six-month extension is required to responsibly implement next steps, namely the transition of the DA pathway into an in-house service run by GLA Housing & Land; and exploration of how best to support the non DA cohorts, including integrating this pathway into alternative commissioning arrangements. 

PCD1438 approved a request to allocate funding of £85,000 to incorporate the Mayor’s Housing Moves scheme coordination into the current Pan London Housing Reciprocal service arrangement for 2023/24. This arrangement was initially instated to support the in-depth review. Following this, it has been agreed for the GLA to resume management of this on an in-house basis. 

The total financial commitment associated with the Decision is £85,000 in 2024/25. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve the extension of the Pan London Housing Reciprocal for a further six months, ending 30 September 2024 at a cost of £85,000 to enable safe and responsible transition of the service pathways into new commissioning arrangements. 

2. Approve the decommission of Safer London to deliver the Mayor’s Moves pathway which will be delivered in house by GLA Housing & Land from 1 April 2024. 

3. Delegate the responsibility for agreeing the specific terms relating to the grant extension to the Director of Commissioning and Partnerships. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

2. The Pan London Housing Reciprocal (PLHR) is an alternative housing pathway for those holding a social housing tenancy, needing to flee serious violence and abuse including Violence against Women and Girls, serious youth violence and hate crime. The scheme, which initiated as a pilot, coordinated by Safer London since 2017, seeks to ensure that survivors and their children are able to access settled long-term accommodation through maintaining their social housing tenancy, vital to enable them to cope and recover from violence and abuse. 

3. PCD1306 approved a 12-month extension of the Scheme which is currently funded until 31 March 2024. This extension is funded through a mix of 85% GLA (Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation programme) and 15% core MOPAC funding at a total cost of £170,000 per year. 

3. A long-awaited review of the current delivery model and location of the Scheme to understand its ongoing feasibility has concluded with an options appraisal to inform future commissioning decision.  

4. PCD1438 approved the allocation of £85,000 of monies received by MOPAC from the GLA to deliver the Part 4 duty of the DA Act 2021 to Safer London to effectively deliver the responsibilities related to the Housing Moves scheme in one place for 2023/24. This arrangement was initially instated to support the in-depth review of the PLHR scheme. Following this, it has been agreed with Safer London and GLA Housing & Land for the GLA to resume management of this on an in-house basis. 

5. This Decision seeks approval for the extension of the Pan London Housing Reciprocal for a further six months, ending 31 October 2024 at a cost of £85,000 to enable safe and responsible transition of the service pathways into new commissioning arrangements; and to approve the decommission of Safer London to deliver the Mayor’s Moves pathway which will be delivered in house by GLA Housing & Land from 1 April 2024. 

6. Issues for consideration  

7. The context in which the PLHR operates has changed significantly over the past six years from when it was first commissioned as a pilot in the absence of any housing pathways for those fleeing domestic abuse.  

A significant development under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, is that local authorities (including the GLA) now have statutory duties to ensure this cohort receives support including, an automatic duty to place someone fleeing domestic abuse into ‘priority need’ for a home. In addition, where survivors have a secure/assured tenancy, this must follow them regardless of the landlord’s own policies. This is a positive step for survivors. However, local authorities have expressed how challenging these rights are to deliver in practice, particularly where their own residents face many years on waiting lists to be housed. 

2. In the last 12 months, the GLA refocussed their Housing Moves scheme to prioritise DA survivors alongside rough sleepers. This has in effect, created a parallel housing pathway for survivors requiring social housing alongside the PLHR, which raises the question as to the ongoing need for a reciprocal scheme in its current form. Additionally, now that local authorities have a statutory duty to prioritise DA survivors, the gap that MOPAC filled by commissioning the PLHR has effectively been addressed, therefore a question of whether it is a good use of public funding to continue funding the scheme; and whether MOPAC should remain as the lead commissioner of a housing solution arises. 

3. Against this changed landscape, austerity, exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic have adversely impacted on the availability of homes; and on local authority staffing levels across the board. New homelessness duties have further created significant resourcing pressures for local authorities making a reciprocal scheme increasingly difficult to engage with. 

4. The current Provider has also expressed that after six years delivering what started as a pilot, they feel they are best placed to focus efforts on their core business which is supporting young people and their families affected by serious youth violence. They also acknowledge the increased need for housing specialism in order to maximise the PLHR successes which essentially relies on housing partner’s goodwill to reciprocate properties through a shared housing ‘pot’. 

Key issues and considerations  

5. Based on findings and significant engagement across a diverse range of stakeholders, the review report proposes three options with a recommended option: to amalgamate the domestic abuse element of the service with Housing Moves, and retain a pan London Housing Reciprocal Scheme for serious youth violence and hate crime unrelated to domestic abuse. 

6. Discussions on the review findings and recommended option have been tabled with a number of stakeholders including GLA Housing & Land colleagues, the current Provider and wider partners. An agreed approach which acknowledges the changed statutory landscape, MOPAC’s primary function as the PCC in London and the need for a well-placed commissioner and/or provider to lead service delivery who have much needed housing connections and levers to maximise outcomes for survivors.  

7. These discussions have resulted in a final option which recognises the benefits of amalgamating the domestic abuse element of the service with Housing Moves and acknowledges growing landscape around housing pathways for young people affected by serious youth violence, not least, MOPAC’s new Violence & Exploitation service. 

8. Decommissioning Safer London’s delivery of the Housing Moves (HM) scheme has no adverse impact on availability of housing solutions for survivors of serious violence and abuse. The pathway was only available for DA survivors which will be continued on an in-house basis by colleagues. Situating the DA element in GLA H&L offers a sensible location for a reinterpretation of the PLHR owing to their housing expertise and connections. Through the HM scheme, they have levers such as top-slicing allocations to make properties available for survivors. They also have existing governance arrangements through which to effectively monitor engagement and escalate any issues at a senior level with housing partners.  

Bringing the two pathways together also supports clarity and minimises burden for professionals making referrals.  

9. Transferring the delivery of the DA element of the PLHR to GLA Housing & Land will enable them to integrate this with Housing Moves as recommended in the review report. Extending the existing PLHR delivery for six months will allow for a safe and responsible transfer of the service including; survivors on waiting lists, staffing (no TUPE responsibilities apply for MOPAC, however we will still share details with both organisations in case they wish to discuss options. 

10. Those affected by serious youth violence (SYV) would not be included in the GLA scheme, however, there are new housing pathways pilots in the London landscape which provide specialist accommodation for young people (16yrs+) who are at high risk due to gang associations. 

11. It is important to note that the PLHR can only move tenancy holders and therefore is not appropriate for the young person affected but is more of a whole family solution where appropriate. The current provider is open to exploring a a reduced scheme focussed on families affected by SYV and/or launching a new tender for this element. 

12. MOPAC’s new Violence and Exploitation commission includes a minimum expectation of an integrated housing offer for young people in both the short-term/emergencies and longer term as required. The current provider has committed to working closely with successful awardees to safely transfer eligible survivors to new pathways. 

13. Extending the existing scheme would again support transitions and enable clear communications across the landscape on new arrangements including referral pathways. This also enables opportunities to build on existing good practice, architecture and learning gained from the existing scheme, including options for the very small cohort seeking alternative housing as a result of hate crime.  

14. Therefore the DMPC is requested to approve the extension of the existing Pan London Housing Reciprocal for a further six months, ending 31 October 2024 at a cost of £85,000 to enable safe and responsible transition of the service pathways into new commissioning arrangements; and to approve the decommission of Safer London to deliver the Mayor’s Moves pathway which will be delivered in house by GLA Housing & Land from 1 April 2024. 

15. Financial Comments  

16. The total financial commitment for the six-month extension of the Pan London Housing Reciprocal is £85,000 in 2024/25. This will be funded from the 2024/25 DASA budget. 

17. Legal Comments  

18. MOPAC is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations"). 

19. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding. 

20. MOPAC has an obligation to publish a grant agreement pursuant to Schedule 1, Paragraph 3(g) of the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) (Amendment) Order 2012. 

21. The legal powers applicable to the acceptance of the Grant will be under Schedule 3, Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 which provides that:  
    7(1) The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office. 
    (2)That includes— 
         (a) entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not). 

22. GDPR and Data Privacy  

23. All privacy issue considerations were considered in the initial pilot. Nothing has changed since this original commitment and no personal data is gathered, however, appropriate assessments will be undertaken as part of the design of any new services.  

24. Under Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Section 57 of the DPA 2018, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) become mandatory for organisations with technologies and processes that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights of the data subjects. 

25. Equality Comments  

26. Equalities considerations were considered in the initial development of the pilot and will continue to be at the forefront of decision making in designing, transferring and developing new services. 

27. Background/supporting papers 

28. PCD1306 approved 12-month extension of the PLHR until 31 March 2024.  

PCD1438 approved the incorporation of Housing Moves into the PLHR service agreement until 31 March 2024.  

Campbell Tickell review report