Concerns about self-isolation impact on vulnerable families
Support services to help homeless people in Lichfield during the coronavirus pandemic are being considered by the district council – and concerns have been raised about how self-isolation could affect families in hostile environments.
Domestic abuse is one of the priorities in the district’s latest community safety delivery plan.
The document sets out how the area’s community safety partnership will tackle community safety issues in the years leading up to 2023.
It stated: “Services to support victims of domestic abuse will continue to be supported as will programmes that work with perpetrators to reduce the risk they pose.
"There will continue to be awareness raising to ensure that people who are at risk of, or suffer from, domestic abuse know how to access help.“
But the current situation, where residents are being advised on social distancing to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19 and for households to self-isolate if necessary for 14 days, has caused concern about how vulnerable families will cope in the coming weeks and months.
Speaking at a Lichfield District Council scrutiny committee on Wednesday, March 18, where the community safety delivery plan was discussed, Councillor Janet Eagland said: “People are going to be stressed out and it is going to be a real testing time. I hope that we are prepared for it.
“Perhaps we need to have an email with contact details for us to have as councillors so we can pass them on.”
Services for homeless and rough sleepers during the pandemic period were also discussed at the meeting as members considered the district council’s draft housing, homelessness and rough sleeping strategy. This document “sets out the council’s plans to tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and a range of other housing-related challenges over the next five years in Lichfield District from 2019 to 2024”, a report to the committee said.
Lucy Robinson, the council’s housing and wellbeing manager, told the meeting: “We are looking to accommodate rough sleepers where possible – we are not aware of any that do need to be self-isolating. We are looking to bring in an outreach service to make sure their needs are accommodated and we will be looking to see if we can get some services in action.
“The night shelter did close recently but we hopefully will be opening. But there are a lot of volunteers who are over 70 and there were concerns whether it would be sustainable going forward. We are hoping it will be reopening shortly.”
