People in Wolverhampton can have their say in framing a new five-year strategy to combat homelessness. Key services in this area will be displaying information to the public on the ground floor of the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, between Monday 4 January and Friday 15 January, 2016, helping people understand more about homelessness and ways they can help develop Wolverhampton’s new strategy to tackle the issue.

Agencies playing their part include the City of Wolverhampton Council, P3 accommodation and support, Stonham Home Group accommodation and support, St Georges Hub day centre, the Refugee and Migrant Centre’s advice service, and Good Shepherd Food service.

Councillor Peter Bilson, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Assets, said: “Like most big towns and cities, Wolverhampton does have an ongoing issue with homelessness, but we are working hard to address this.

“We particularly focus our efforts on preventing someone from becoming homeless in the first place. We work closely with our partner agencies such as P3, Housing Outreach teams and colleagues in benefits in order to offer advice to, and find solutions for, people threatened with homelessness, and ensure support is available for those who are unable to maintain their tenancy for whatever reason.

"We are also in the process of developing a new Rent With Confidence framework which will give people information about the standard of and management of accommodation which they move into, and also help the council to identify suitable properties which will help end or prevent individuals' homelessness in the future."

Anyone who is at risk of becoming homeless – or knows someone who has found themselves in that position – should contact the council's Housing Options team on 01902 550919 as soon as possible for help and advice. Alternatively, they can present to P3's Navigator service located on Broad Street.