An extra £2.1 million has been allocated to help tackle
youth homelessness and rough sleeping, Communities and Children
Secretary has announced
today.
The funding is in addition to the £8m of funding provided via the
Homelessness Prevention Grant programme and the £6m allocated to
local authorities to prevent homelessness.
Local Authorities, working with voluntary sector organisations,
will be invited to apply for the funding for projects which
address rough sleeping, youth homelessness, people with a mental
health need who are homeless or potentially homeless, and
improving access to the private rented sector for people in
housing need. As these issues are often interlinked, projects
which address these linkages will be particularly encouraged.
The announcement comes as an evaluation report of the Welsh
Government’s homelessness legislation under the Housing (Wales)
Act 2014 is published. The report found that overall, the
increased focus on prevention introduced under the Act has led to
the prevention of homelessness for a larger number of people than
previously but that certain groups, such as single men, care
leavers and those experiencing multiple issues have not
benefitted to the same extent. The report also highlighted
variations across Wales in the delivery of services.
The Cabinet Secretary said:
"Providing people with a safe, warm and secure home remains a
key priority. The report published today shows that Local
authorities have made a positive start in implementing the
legislation we introduced in 2015 to help everyone who is
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
"There is more we can do however, particularly for those groups
who are still struggling to get the help they need. Along with
the £14m I announced earlier this year, the funding I have
announced today will be available to projects that aim to
target these groups and tackle the issues they face."
