UK Launches £150 Million Housing Fund to House 3,000 Homeless People

Over £150 million to be made available across England to provide a permanent place to live for some of the most vulnerable in society.

More than 3,300 new long-term homes for the homeless and other vulnerable people have been approved, the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP has announced today.

Backed by government investment of more than £150 million the new homes will be made available in every region of England. This will enable people who sleep rough, or at risk of sleeping rough, to be rehoused in secure, long-term accommodation, providing some of the most vulnerable in society with a permanent place to live and help to rebuild their lives.

These will be available by the end of March 2021 and are part of the government’s investment of £433 million to deliver 6,000 new homes for the homeless by the end of this Parliament. In March the government launched the ‘Everyone In’ campaign to house the homeless and arrange safe accommodation, helping to protect thousands of lives during the pandemic.

By September over 29,000 vulnerable people had been supported, with over 10,000 in emergency accommodation and nearly 19,000 provided with settled accommodation or move on support.

In total, 276 schemes have been approved across England, including 38 in London alone, which will provide 904 new homes for the homeless. Outside of London, 238 councils have received approval to move to the next phase of development, encompassing 2,430 new homes.

This funding is on top of the £91.5 million allocated to 274 councils in September to fund their individual local plans for rough sleepers over the coming months, and to help provide short-term and interim accommodation for vulnerable people, as well as the £10 million Cold Weather Payment for councils to help to keep rough sleepers safe this winter.

Once they have the keys to their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such as support for mental health or substance misuse needs, so they can rebuild their lives, move towards training and work, and remain off the streets for good.

During the pandemic, the government has worked closely with councils and charitable organizations to offer vulnerable people safe accommodation and support.

With the funding provided by the government, and the efforts of charities, local government and other partners, in just over two months, more than 90% of rough sleepers known to councils at the beginning of the pandemic were offered accommodation to help protect them.

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