Thousands of vulnerable people facing homelessness are set to
benefit from the launch of a £20m scheme to help them secure a
private rented home.
The Private Rented Sector Access Fund, launching
tomorrow on World Homeless Day (Wednesday October 10) by
Communities Secretary, Rt Hon MP, is a dedicated fund
designed to help up to 9,000 people who are or at risk of
becoming homeless to secure their own home.
A key part of the Government’s expert-backed
Rough Sleeping Strategy, the fund will be used to either help set
up locally-led schemes or expand those currently in use. These
schemes will be tailored to match the needs of each local area’s
residents and landlords.
This could involve councils providing financial
support to help those to access or maintain their tenancies, such
as paying deposits for the tenancy or rent payments.
Alternatively, some schemes may involve the council managing the
property on the landlord’s behalf.
Communities Secretary, the Rt Hon MP:
“It is vital we give people facing homelessness
a route out of it and a chance to rebuild their lives. The
private rented sector has an important role in this.
“This £20 million fund will allow councils to put in place vital
new schemes so that those at risk will have the support to secure
their own tenancy.
“It is just one part of the wide-ranging work we are doing to
help tackle all forms of homelessness, including our Rough
Sleeping Strategy as we ensure more homes are made available for
those in need.”
The fund is modelled on evidence provided from the successful
programme run by leading homelessness charity Crisis which
supported schemes to help homeless people into thousands of
private rental tenancies.
The new fund’s launch comes as patients, prisoners and jobseekers
at risk of homelessness must now be referred to their local
housing authority under key legislation. The Duty to Refer, a
core part of the Homelessness Reduction Act, came into force this
month.
It places new responsibilities on key public bodies such as
prisons, Job centres and NHS Trusts to ensure those at risk get
the help they need.
Notes to Editors
The Rough Sleeping Strategy
-
The Rough Sleeping Strategy was launch in
August this year and set out a number of schemes designed to
support those sleeping on Britain’s streets rapidly into
accommodation.
-
The minimum tenancy or existing tenancy
supported by the schemes will be a period of 12 months.
-
Bidding for the schemes is open to all local
councils, who are permitted to submit separate bids.
-
The competition for bids runs for six weeks
from Wednesday 10 October
-
Up to £5m in funding is available for bids for
the 2018-19 financial year with £15m available for the 2019-20
financial year.
-
The Crisis Private Rented Sector Access
Programme ran from 2010 until 2014, backed by £11m in funding
from the Government. The programme supported over 153 schemes
across the sector, creating 8,000 tenancies over four years. A
total of 90% of these schemes created lasted beyond six
months.
The Duty to Refer
-
The Duty to Refer came into place on 1st
October 2018. It is an element of the Homelessness Reduction
Act which became legislation in April 2018, placing new duties
on councils to prevent and relieve homelessness.
-
A full list of public authorities covered
under the Duty to Refer is available here.
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Referrals under the Duty to Refer cannot be
made without the service user’s consent which should be
informed and made in writing or given orally.
