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Government pledges £105m to keep 15,000 from becoming homeless post-pandemic
The government has announced that it will make £105m available to fund accommodation to keep 15,000 people off the streets in the months after the coronavirus pandemic.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick today announced that the money will be made available to provide interim housing for thousands of rough sleepers taken off the streets during the pandemic.
It will be used to support rough sleepers or those at risk of homelessness into tenancies, help people pay deposits for secure private tenancies, and make thousands of alternative rooms available for use, such as student accommodation.
Since the start of the pandemic, thousands of rough sleepers have been housed in temporary accommodation such as hotels. However, with hotels in England set to reopen on 4 July there are concerns about where these people will be housed after that date.
The money is the latest given by the government to try to ensure that rough sleepers and homeless people housed during the coronavirus pandemic do not return to the streets. The £105m includes £85m of new funding from the Treasury and £20m from existing homelessness and rough sleeping budgets.
Last month the government pledged to fund 6,000 new long-term homes for rough sleepers housed during the pandemic. This pledge will see £381m from its rough sleepers’ fund announced in the March Budget accelerated to make at least 3,300 new homes available in the next 12 months.
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The government said that the latest cash takes the money channelled towards homelessness and rough sleeping during the pandemic to more than £0.5bn.
The new initiative will involve the government working closely with councils, charities, the private hospitality sector and community groups to keep people off the streets for good.
Of the money handed out today, £105m is for England. Through the Barnett formula, a further £19.8m will go to devolved nations to tackle the issue.
Mr Jenrick said: “In recent months, I have seen a huge effort across the country to keep almost 15,000 vulnerable people off the streets. This has been vital to ensure their safety during the peak of the pandemic and has changed the lives of thousands for the better.
“The additional funding announced today will allow us to continue to support these individuals – giving them access to the accommodation and support they need now while we continue with plans to deliver thousands of long-term homes in the coming months.
“Together, this takes the funding provided by government for vulnerable rough sleepers and those at risk of becoming homeless to over half a billion this year – an unprecedented commitment as we move towards ending rough sleeping for good.”
In May, the government set up its Rough Sleeping Taskforce – led by Dame Louise Casey – which will lead the next phase of the government’s support for rough sleepers during the pandemic.
Commenting on the new fund, Dame Louise said: “‘Everyone In’ has been an extraordinary effort from councils, charities and many others to provide a safe haven for almost 15,000 homeless people who were either on the streets or at risk of rough sleeping during this COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want to thank again the hotels and other providers who have opened their doors to some of the most vulnerable people in society at this most difficult time.”
David Renard, the Local Government Association’s housing spokesperson, said: “We are pleased the government has announced further much-needed funding to help councils continue supporting rough sleepers and keeping them off the street.
“We would now like to see the government follow this announcement by temporarily removing the no recourse to public funds condition during the current crisis to reduce public health risks and pressures on homelessness services by enabling people to access welfare benefits.
“In addition, allowing councils to be able to keep 100% of receipts from Right to Buy sales and extending the deadline to spend the money to at least five years will allow councils to get on with the job of building the new homes that people in their areas desperately need.”
