Issue - decisions
Our House Funding Extension 2026-2030
17/07/2026 - Our House Funding Extension 2026-2030
Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Community Safety, presented the item, the purpose of which was to update members on the ‘Our House’ project with a recommendation that funding be extended from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2030.
In his presentation the Executive Member made the following points:
· The project had been established in partnership with Cottsway Housing Association and provided accommodation and support for vulnerable young people who were homeless, at risk of homelessness or unable to remain in the family home.
· Specialist support was delivered by Aspire Oxfordshire in order to separate tenancy management and support provision, which had improved outcomes for residents.
· The scheme currently provided accommodation for up to eleven young people across three shared houses in the district.
· Over the last five years the project had accommodated more than thirty young people with the majority having moved into their own homes or returning to the family home.
· Councillor Saul detailed specific numbers of residents who had moved to independent living, gained employment or apprenticeships, were in full-time training and seeking employment. The examples had demonstrated the project’s strong performance.
· The project delivered accommodation at significantly lower cost than traditional supported housing which subsequently had supported access to employment.
· The funding requirement of the scheme was £359,950. The project cost approximately £166 per person per week which had compared favourably against the cost of emergency accommodation. The funding would be met from existing Housing Projects Reserve balances.
· If the project was not extended, notices would have to be given to eleven residents, and the Council may have to provide costly emergency accommodation. Furthermore, residents could face homelessness, rough sleeping or disruption to education.
· The proposal had offered strong value for money, supported the Council’s statutory homelessness duties and had improved outcomes for vulnerable young people.
Councillor Saul proposed accepting the recommendations of the report.
Councillor Andy Graham emphasised that residents’ lives had been transformed by the support given by such projects and as such the work was important.
Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, seconded the proposals and added that this was an excellent project to support young people with the additional benefit that it reduced costs in the long run as well as the wider cost to society.
The proposals were put to the vote and were agreed unanimously.
The Executive resolved to:
1. Approve a 4-year funding extension for the Our House project from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2030;
2. Agree to continue with the current Support Provider via waiver;
3. Delegate authority to the Head of Housing Solutions, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, to approve any minor amendments to this funding extension;
4. Agree to utilise Housing Projects Reserves as set out in the Proposal in section 4 of the report.