Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy 2024 - 2029

Overview

Birmingham City Council is consulting with citizens on the city’s draft Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy 2024-2029. This draft strategy sets out the key priorities and actions for how we, with agencies across the city, will work together to tackle homelessness over the next five years.

Homelessness is any time you lack a secure place in which you are entitled to live, or when you can stay somewhere, but you are only entitled to stay on a very temporary basis. This can include rough sleeping, sofa surfing, being at risk of domestic abuse, being in temporary accommodation, not being able to live in your property because it is unreasonable to do so, or any time you have no accommodation available to occupy. More information can be found here.

Why your views matter

We are asking for your views to ensure we have identified the right priorities and actions for this bold and ambitious strategy for Birmingham.

The online survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and is completely confidential, so your information will not be shared, and you will not be contacted about your answers.

But if you would like to discuss this consultation with us or you would like to submit consultation responses to us by email, please contact: HomelessnessPreventionStrategyConsultation@birmingham.gov.uk

You can download a summary of the draft Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Prevention Strategy 2024 – 2029 using the link below.

Help and support

If you believe you are threatened with homelessness or are homeless you can contact our customer centre on 0121 303 7410 option 3. If you are not homeless today but believe you might be threatened with homelessness within 56 days you can also Request a housing needs assessment online.

For information about other services, such as out of hours support, or youth homelessness provision, details can be found here: Homelessness services | Homelessness services | Birmingham City Council

We also have two Customer Services Centres. These centres offer a walk-in advice service during their opening hours and can be contacted by the phone.

• Erdington Customer Service Centre, 67 Sutton New Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B23 6QT - 0121 216 3030
• Northfield Customer Service Centre, 1a Vineyard Road, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 1PG - 0121 216 3030

We also run a weekly advice surgery at Druids Heath Library. These are on Thursdays from 9am, on a first come first served basis.

What can we advise you on:

• welfare benefit
• council tax
• rent
• other housing queries

In relation to financial advice, more information can be found here: cost of living support pages. Additional support can also be found here: VIEW the Help in Brum leaflet HERE which provides information on the following:

• Information on warm welcome spaces
• Benefits and money advice
• Energy efficiency guidance
• Food provision
• Other support available from a range of partner organisation

Rent advance or deposit via DHP Discretionary Housing Payment: More information via our Benefit Service 0121 464 7000 or visit https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/dhp.

Most private rentals are advertised online including at: www.zoopla.co.uk, www.rightmove.co.uk, www.gumtree.com/property-to-rent/birmingham.

Citizen can also seek advice from the Private Tenancy Service: www.birmingham.gov.uk/privatetenants. 

We also have a new service Accommodation Finding Service which works with landlords to secure properties in the private sector. The team secures accommodation with the help of various incentives for an initial 24 month tenancies to those on the Council's homeless and housing register. If you would like more information about the service offered please email AFT@Birmingham.gov.uk.

Services designed specifically for refugees and migrants:

Migrant Advice Portal: West Midlands – This is a very new website which is aimed at providing a variety of information to Refugees and Migrants

Learn English in Birmingham - Birmingham ESOL Hub – If you require any help with learning additional language, you can go here.

If you have any additional questions, please direct them to 0121 216 3030, as listed above.