Fiona has welcomed a number of measures taken by the Government to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, having herself co-founded a long-running homelessness project many years ago.
This April will see the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, introduced to Parliament by Bob Blackman MP and supported by the Government. The act is the most ambitious legislative reform in decades and will transform the culture of homelessness service delivery. All English local authorities, public services and voluntary organisations will work together to actively prevent homelessness for people at risk, irrespective of whether they are a family or single person, what has put them at risk or if they have a local connection to the area. Action will be taken earlier and for a broader range of people meaning people will receive the help they need before they face a homelessness crisis.
The Government has allocated over £1 billion through to 2020 to reduce and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. This includes:
- £315 million of funding to local authorities and £197 million of central government funding for homelessness programmes
- £100 million to deliver low-cost move-on accommodation places - for people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery
- £402 million in Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding over the next two years, which local authorities can use more strategically to prevent and tackle homeless in their areas
- £20 million to establish a network of ambitious Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer areas
- £20 million rough sleeping grant fund for targeted prevention and early intervention for those at imminent risk of sleeping rough or new to the streets
- £10 million of Social Impact Bond funding to provide personalised support for long-term rough sleepers
Other measures include:
- Trialling a Housing First approach in three major regions of England, which will support some of the most entrenched rough sleepers off the streets and help them to end their homelessness
- £20 million fund for schemes to enable better access to new private rented sector tenancies or support in sustaining tenancies for those who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless or rough sleeping.
- Launch of a Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce that will drive forward the implementation of a cross-Government strategy, with an initial focus on rough sleeping.
Fiona said:
"Homelessness is an incredibly important issue which needs to be addressed. It is an important step to have introduced the Homelessness Reduction Act which I was pleased to support and which will make a real difference to the lives of homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless."