Cherwell will offer rough sleepers somewhere to stay before Christmas, with a target of zero by April 2027. New beds will come later. Updated November 2026.

Cherwell District Council has £474,068 from the government to get people sleeping rough off the streets, and will make them offers of accommodation before Christmas. The district covers Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington.

The council’s Executive approved the approach on Monday 2 November, alongside a new two-year homelessness plan.

The plan sets a target of nobody sleeping rough on a single night by April 2027. But the council’s report says new accommodation is unlikely to open before Christmas. So the number of people in temporary housing is likely to rise first.

There were 8 verified rough sleepers in the district on a single night at the end of August. The report calls that low against long-term trends. The action plan uses a baseline of 10.

What happens before Christmas

The money is Cherwell’s share of a £442m national programme over three years, announced by the Prime Minister in August. It starts this financial year.

The council’s plan has three parts:

  • Offers now. Staff and outreach workers will approach people known to be sleeping rough and offer them somewhere to stay.
  • More supported housing. The council wants to pay a supported housing provider for extra places. It says these suit people better and cost less than hotels.
  • Help for charities. It will consider what more it can do for charities working with this group.

There are limits, and the report sets them out. The council “cannot force people off the streets who do not want assistance”. The offer is not a permanent home outside the housing register. It is likely to be a place in supported housing or temporary accommodation. Anyone newly sleeping rough after Christmas gets the same offer.

People on sofas or in other insecure housing may also need help, so the council says it cannot accurately predict the numbers.

The targets

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan 2027-29 is new because the government now requires local targets as a condition of funding.

Measure Baseline April 2027 April 2028
People sleeping rough on a single night 10 0 0
Long term rough sleepers (seen in 3 or more months of 12) 2 0 0
Families in a B&B or hotel for over 6 weeks 3 0 0
Households with children in temporary housing, per 1,000 households 0.76 0.6 0.5
Homelessness duties where homelessness was prevented or relieved 42% 50% 55%
The same, for people with multiple disadvantages 57% 60% 65%
Bar chart comparing Cherwell's baselines of 10 people sleeping rough on one night, 2 long term rough sleepers and 3 families in hotels over six weeks with a target of zero for each by April 2027
Three of the plan's targets, all zero by April 2027. Chart by Banbury Online
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The plan itself warns that surges in demand can affect whether targets are met.

Its commitments include:

  • a new Cherwell-commissioned supported housing scheme, due in 2027/28
  • a review of the Oxford House provision in Bicester
  • personal housing plans for each person sleeping rough
  • more work with private landlords
  • better support for people leaving prison, hospital or care

Councillor Ian Middleton, the portfolio holder for housing, said homelessness “is rarely just about the absence of a roof over someone’s head”. He said it is often linked to “health, employment, relationships and personal circumstances”.

The pressure behind it

Two figures in the papers show how tight things already are.

The budget monitoring report records 44 homeless households in nightly charged hotel rooms at the end of the second quarter. The council’s target is 25 or fewer. It says families in hotels for over six weeks remain low in number, and expects the programme to push placements up in the short term.

Single people now make up 40% to 50% of those in Cherwell’s temporary housing. Many have complex needs. Oxfordshire’s shared supported housing is oversubscribed, the report says, so vulnerable people wait for a place, “often in unsuitable or unsecure housing”.

What it means for you

  • If you are homeless tonight or about to be, call Cherwell’s housing team on 01295 227004.
  • If you are worried about losing your home, email homelessreferrals@cherwell-dc.gov.uk. The council says the earlier you make contact, the more likely it is to prevent it.
  • If you see someone sleeping rough, you can tell local outreach workers through StreetLink.

Councillors can call in the decisions until noon on Monday 9 November. We will check the numbers again in the new year.

Sources