Responding to the report by the Housing, Communities and Local
Government Select Committee on the need for a comprehensive
national strategy to prevent rough sleepers and homeless people
returning to the streets, Cllr David Renard, Housing spokesman for
the Local Government Association, said:
“It has been a monumental effort by
councils to get most rough sleepers and homeless people off the
streets. Councils want to take this opportunity to change the
lives of our most vulnerable residents and stand ready to work
with government on a national plan to move people into safe
housing with access to wider support they might need for
substance dependency and help with benefits, skills and getting
work.
“We are pleased that the Committee has
backed our call for councils to be able to spend 100 per cent of
money from Right to Buy sales and combine with other government
funding pots. This, alongside extending the deadline to spend the
money to at least five years, is critical to allow councils to
get on with the job of building the new homes that people in
their areas desperately need.
“MPs are also right to recognise the need
for councils to have ongoing and consistent funding from
government in the weeks and months ahead. This, alongside
continued flexibility to decide locally how best to spend it, is
vital so they can tackle the specific pressures they face in
their local area, including homelessness and rough
sleeping.”
