Decision details

To consider the Young Person’s Pathway and the proposed recommendations:
1. that Pathway 1 sits within the Housing service managed through housing needs. This will include the transfer of budgets between services with identified savings.
2. to agree the proposed shared budget for Pathway 2

i) To agree the proposal for Pathway 1

ii) To agree the re-procurement of Pathway 2 for 2+1 years with a view for Housing to consider the wider Housing requirements under the housing strategy.

iii)
For Funding of Pathway 2 to be shared on a 50/50 share between Housing and CYPS for the 2+1 recommissioning reflecting the demand for under 18 young people and over 18 young people.

Services are currently provided by other commissioned organisations as well as North Yorkshire Council. There are currently two distinct pathways for which NYC has responsibility for. These are known as Pathway 1 and Pathway 2.

Pathway 1 is the prevention arm of the service. Pathway 1 is an innovative approach to the prevention of homelessness prior to the entrance to statutory services for both CYPS and Housing. This allows the increased capacity for the prevention of youth homelessness through mediation, negotiation and individual bespoke wraparound support. This has been effective in reducing the need for provision of accommodation under Pathway 2 as shown in the data where Pathway 1 had a success rate in family reunification of 80% of young people in 22/23.

Pathway 2 is where accommodation is provided with support. The Pathway 2 offer is an accommodation offer to avoid the use of statutory services for vulnerable young people. Where Pathway 1 has not been successful, the young person is referred to a Hub Coordinator through the Housing Options teams across North Yorkshire. The Hub Coordinator assesses the situation to ensure that all preventative initiatives have been explored. This enables a coordinated approach across the council and an equitable service delivery.

The Pathway is a fundamental and crucial element of the Council’s approach to meeting its wider statutory responsibilities under both children’s and homelessness legislation. Effectively the Pathway alleviates the pressure on the Council’s homelessness service through the provision of a bespoke and more cost-effective solution to meeting need than the statutory homelessness process. Any reductions in capacity within the Pathway are likely to be costly and have negative outcomes for young people overall, adding pressure and cost on the Council’s homelessness service. As a result, more young people are likely to require assistance and the provision of temporary accommodation.