Only a year after being established, the homelessness services provided by Cheshire Peaks & Plains Housing Trust have helped Macclesfield to be recognised as a regional champion.

The Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate has identified 18 areas across the country to act as Regional Champions for 2007/8 in tackling homelessness. These Champions will work with other local authorities to provide support and share best practice.

Cheshire Peaks & Plains Housing Trust provides the homelessness service on behalf of Macclesfield Borough Council, following a stock transfer in July 2006. There has been a significant improvement in performance in the year following transfer, with cases of homelessness falling from 204 in 2005/6 to 136 in 2006/7. The number of people in temporary accommodation also dropped from 209 households in March 2004 to just 8 in June 2007.

Director of Customer Services at the Trust, Jacqui Sinnott, said “We are delighted to have contributed to this significant improvement in services, especially since at the time of transfer there was much debate and concern about how this service would be best delivered.

“Since transfer, the Trust has carried out a complete review and revision of its homelessness procedures, so that all applications are now treated in a transparent and consistent way in line with government guidance. We have taken measures to tackle the root causes of homelessness and have developed new initiatives such as a Homeless Prevention Officer and a Homeless Mediation Service. We also employ a Money Adviser who deals with debt related issues.

“Our partnership working with both Macclesfield Borough Council and other private landlords has proven to be a real strength, and it is great to see that together we are already making a real difference to the issue of homelessness in the area.”