Council scoops award for homelessness services
Winchester City Council has become one of the first councils in the country to receive the Government’s ‘silver’ standard in recognition of its work in preventing and tackling all forms of homelessness.
The Government’s Gold Standard programme for housing options services is based on a national assessment framework that includes a ‘peer review’ of the authority’s front-line service and applications for each of the 10 local challenges. The programme is aimed at promoting good practice and ensuring services are fit for purpose.
Cllr Caroline Horrill, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, said:
I would like to congratulate the team for their excellent performance. Winchester City Council Housing Options Service has demonstrated that early intervention is a cost-effective way of preventing homelessness, which is a key priority for the Council.
We are very proud as a Council for achieving silver in the National Gold Standard programme and recognise that the award is not just about being awarded silver status but shows that Winchester City Council provides a fit-for-purpose front-line housing service in collaboration with key partners such as the Trinity Centre and the Winchester Nightshelter.
The Council’s Housing Options team were presented with the silver award by John Bentham, the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Lead on Homelessness Legislation, at the National Gold Standard conference in Coventry last week.