More money will be spent persuading landlords not to evict tenants as part of a huge cash boost to help prevent homelessness.

The government is pumping nearly £1 billion into council budgets so they can step in early to stop households becoming homeless in the first place. This includes mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, help find new homes and deposits to access private renting.

Money will also provide more resources for frontline workers who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing as well as seeing more homeless families out of temporary accommodation.  

About 40% of homeless families are living in B&Bs or nightly-let accommodation, and the use of this emergency accommodation has doubled in three years, with a record number of 123,100 households including almost 160,000 children forced into temporary accommodation, reports the government.

Spiralling

Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner (main image) is determined to break the cycle of spiralling homelessness and get back on track to ending it for good. She adds: “This largest-ever investment marks a turning point, giving councils the tools they need to act quickly and put in place support for people to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness. It’s time to turn the tide.”

A new dedicated inter-ministerial group will bring together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy, working with mayors and councils around England.

Local Government Association housing spokesperson, councillor Adam Hug (pictured) says it looks forward to collaborating with the government, but he adds: “To be most effective, this will need to set out national commitments from each government department, monitor and report departments’ contributions, and ensure that local partners contribute to prevention activity and targets through local homelessness strategies.”

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