Somerset Council Invests £1.56m in AI to Prevent Homelessness

TL;DR: Somerset Council has approved a £1.56m investment in AI and data analysis to prevent homelessness. The system will integrate fragmented resident data into a single view, enabling early identification of at-risk families. The council projects this could prevent up to 256 families from becoming homeless each year.

Somerset Council’s cabinet has approved a significant investment in AI technology as part of what officials describe as a “radical rethink” of service delivery. The £1.56m initiative aims to tackle rising demand and costs through preventative intervention rather than reactive support.

The investment will fund development of an integrated data system that collects and collates resident information currently held across different council departments. By creating a unified view of each resident’s interactions with council services, officials believe they can identify warning signs of potential homelessness much earlier in the process.

Context and Background

The council’s approach centres on using AI to spot patterns and gaps in support that human staff might miss when working with siloed data. Councillor Theo Butt-Philip, lead member for transformation, emphasised that the investment represents a fundamental shift in operational philosophy.

The funding, drawn from the council’s capital budget, will also support the addition of 10 new staff members to the authority’s AI and data team. This expansion reflects the council’s commitment to building long-term capability across the organisation.

Looking Forward

Somerset’s initiative comes as local authorities nationwide grapple with increasing service demands and constrained budgets. By focusing on prevention through better data use, the council hopes to demonstrate a scalable model for other authorities facing similar pressures.

The project represents a growing trend among UK councils exploring AI applications beyond traditional efficiency gains, targeting complex social challenges where early intervention delivers measurable outcomes and cost savings.

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