Government brings forward funding for new supported homes to end rough sleeping
The government has announced that funding will be fast-tracked to make long-term homes available for rough sleepers who have been placed in temporary accommodation during the coronavirus outbreak.
We welcome this announcement. We have called for housing and support to be made available for rough sleepers and have asked for certainty around funding. We recently wrote to Dame Louise Casey, alongside housing association partners and Homes for Cathy, CIH, Homeless Link and the National Federation of ALMOs, with an offer to work closely with Dame Louise on the Rough Sleeping Taskforce announced earlier in the year.
What the announcement means for housing associations
- The funding will ensure 3,300 homes will be made available over the next 12 months. This will be achieved by accelerating some of the funding for rough sleeping services announced in the Spring Budget, where the government pledged to provide 6,000 homes in total.
- The government has also committed an extra £52m extra funding from what was announced in the Budget, meaning £433m will be made available over a four-year period (£160m will be made available this year).
We will monitor further announcements closely and inform our members when the funding has been allocated or bidding is opened.
As well as accelerating capital funding for investment in housing stock, the government is increasing the revenue part of the programme by 37% to “make sure that the rough sleepers have the support they need to stay off the streets for good”. The support funding will also be available for four years.
Update on the Rough Sleeping Taskforce
Homes England has also committed to work alongside MHCLG and partners to support the Rough Sleeping Taskforce. In addition, the Department for Education will provide £700,000 for councils to support care leavers at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.
Dame Louise Casey has also called on all parts of society, including communities, businesses, charities and faith groups, to join forces and help new Rough Sleeping Taskforce, and announced that nearly 15,000 rough sleepers have been housed in emergency accommodation such as hotels since the beginning of the crisis. Community partners have committed their support, including:
- Business in the Community, The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, bringing together private sector partners to support rough sleepers.
- The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster highlighted the role that churches and faith groups will play.
- The Prince’s Trust exploring how best to provide long-term employment and training support to help young rough sleepers into work.
- Comic Relief pledging to support the crucial work of charities and frontline workers through Crisis and Homeless Link.
- St Martin-in-the-Fields charity putting £1 into a support package for people moving to longer term accommodation.
- Housing Justice joining forces with The Passage’s ‘Home for Good’ scheme to mobilise its network of churches and other faith and community groups.
The government plans to work with councils, local leaders and the property sector through the Rough Sleeping Taskforce. The work aims to ensure that housing is delivered as quickly as possible and in the most cost-effective way. Interim accommodation is also being committed by the YHA, the YMCA and some universities.
Housing associations are well placed to work with local authorities to provide housing for rough sleepers. The NHF already sits on the government’s Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel and we will be seeking to work closely with the taskforce as well.
While the funding announcement is very welcome, we will keep pressing for the other funding and the changes we need to ensure there is absolutely no return to rough sleeping. There is also an immediate need to support councils to provide homes for people who will be quickly moved on from the hotels where they have been temporarily housed.