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Thousands of new, safe, long-term homes for rough
sleepers
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Backed by more than £150 million government funding,
new homes will be available by end of March 2021
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Taken together, Government spending on rough sleeping
and homelessness this year is over £700 million
More than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers and other
vulnerable people have been approved, the Communities Secretary
MP has announced today (Thursday 29 October).
Backed by Government investment of more than £150 million the new
homes will be made available in every region of England. This
will enable people who sleep rough, or at risk of sleeping rough,
to be rehoused in secure, long-term accommodation, providing some
of the most vulnerable in society with a permanent place to live
and help to rebuild their lives.
These will be available by the end of March 2021 and are part of
the Government’s investment of £433 million to deliver 6,000 new
homes for rough sleepers by the end of this Parliament. In March
the Government launched the ‘Everyone In’ campaign to house rough
sleepers in safe accommodation, helping to protect thousands of
lives during the pandemic.
By September over 29,000 vulnerable people had been supported,
with over 10,000 in emergency accommodation and nearly 19,000
provided with settled accommodation or move on support.
Communities Secretary, Rt Hon MP said:
“Our Everyone In plan is widely considered the most effective
action taken by any country in the world to protect those
sleeping rough from the pandemic. And that work hasn’t stopped -
29,000 rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been
supported into safe accommodation since the start of Covid-19.
“The next step in our mission is to ensure they have a more
settled home. Which is why we are providing over £150 million, as
part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to
deliver over 3,000 new long-term homes across England, giving
them the stability and security they need to start to rebuild
their lives.”
, Minister for Housing and Rough Sleeping
said:
“The efforts to protect rough sleepers throughout the pandemic
have been truly outstanding, and I want to wholeheartedly thank
all the charities, councils, housing providers and support groups
who have made this possible.
“We want to ensure the progress continues for years to come and
the new, safe and supported homes are the cornerstone of our work
to tackle rough sleeping and provide a solid foundation for those
affected to rebuild their lives.”
Kate Henderson, Chief Executive at the National Housing
Federation, said:
"It's positive that this funding has now been allocated to
provide long-term homes for rough sleepers. These homes, along
with support, will be vital in ensuring people who have
experienced rough sleeping do not return to the streets.
"Housing associations will be providing many of these homes and
support and look forward to working with local authorities to
ensure people are helped into permanent housing.
"This is an important step towards achieving the government's
manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024, alongside
investment in new homes for social rent."
Nick Walkley, Chief Executive of Homes England
said:
“We’re proud to be supporting local authorities, charities,
housing associations and our other partners access the funding
they need to get on and deliver these crucial homes.”
In total, 276 schemes have been approved across England,
including 38 in London alone, which will provide 904 new homes
for rough sleepers. Outside of London, 238 councils have received
approval to move to the next phase of development, encompassing
2,430 new homes.
This funding is on top of the £91.5 million allocated to 274
councils in September to fund their individual local plans for
rough sleepers over the coming months, and to help provide
short-term and interim accommodation for vulnerable people, as
well as the £10 million Cold Weather Payment for councils to help
to keep rough sleepers safe this winter.
Once they have the keys to their new home, rough sleepers will be
supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such
as support for mental health or substance misuse needs, so they
can rebuild their lives, move towards training and work, and
remain off the streets for good.
During the pandemic, the government has worked closely with
councils and charitable organisations to offer vulnerable people
safe accommodation and support.
Thanks to the funding provided by this Government, and the
efforts of charities, local government and other partners, in
just over two months, more than 90% of rough sleepers known to
councils at the beginning of the pandemic were offered
accommodation to help protect them.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Allocations are subject to due diligence and contracting.
- This is part of the £433m commitment, to bring forward 6,000
units of accommodation, over the next four years.
