Wolverhampton City Council is launching a 3 month consultation into proposed changes to the housing support and social inclusion services it commissions through The Haven Wolverhampton.
The Haven provides emergency and supported accommodation as well as outreach support and advice for adults and families with children at risk of violence and abuse.
The proposed changes will ensure that Wolverhampton continues to provide a significantly higher number of refuge places than Government guidelines suggest, and will also seek to improve the sustainability of outcomes by enabling people to access emergency accommodation services for a longer period of time than they do at present.
Councillor Val Gibson, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said: "Providing services to people at risk of domestic violence and abuse in Wolverhampton is a key priority for the council.
"As a council we already provide greater financial support for domestic violence services than many other councils - and we intend to continue to do so.
"However, due to the unprecedented financial challenge we are currently facing as a result of Government funding cuts, we are having to make savings to many of the services we provide or commission.
"We have been working closely with The Haven Wolverhampton to look at how best we can meet the needs of people at risk of violence and abuse within the resources available.
"It's important to stress that under the proposals, the service itself is not changing significantly; the main change is the number of bed spaces that will be provided. Government guidelines suggest there should be 1 refuge space per 10,000 population, and under these proposals we will be able to provide 1 bed per 5,000 population.
"Floating support services for people who do not require accommodation will remain unchanged.
"We now want to hear what people think of the proposals which will help inform any changes to the service going forward."
People can take part in the consultation by completing a short online survey available at Type=links;Linkid=4872;Title=Housing Support and Social Inclusion Services;Target=_blank; or by attending one of 3 public workshops taking place in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, on Thursday 5 February, 2015 from 10am to 12pm, 2pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm.
Alternatively people can call 01902 551040 to find out more, email participation.team@wolverhampton.gov.uk or write to Shen Brown, Participation Officer, Joint Commissioning Team, Wolverhampton City Council, 1st Floor, Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RT.
The closing date for comments is Monday 16 March, 2015.
- released: Tuesday 23 December, 2014