Increased emergency homelessness funding set at £60 million
The UK government has announced a significant investment in homelessness prevention services, with a focus on community-led solutions and crisis accommodation improvements. This funding forms part of a larger-scale investment of almost £1 billion, aimed at ending homelessness and tackling the worst housing crisis in a generation.
Rushanara Ali, the Minister for Homelessness, stated that the funding is intended to stop people from falling through the cracks and help them rebuild their lives. The Minister also emphasized that this investment is a crucial step towards delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation.
The funding, amounting to £60 million this year, brings the total Winter Pressures Funding for homelessness and rough sleeping to its current figure. This investment will support 70 projects aimed at innovative solutions to end homelessness, with a particular focus on survivors of domestic violence.
In addition to this, the government is building 8,400 public homes, with half dedicated to survivors of domestic violence, addressing the critical need for stable housing to solve homelessness.
Last year, the government launched an emergency £10 million package for rough sleepers, with a further £20 million announced in January. This year, an additional £10 million has been invested before Christmas for emergency accommodation and targeted interventions for homeless individuals.
The funding is targeted at 295 areas facing high risks of homelessness, with the aim of keeping people in their homes and supporting them off the streets. The government has also increased the emergency funding for homelessness services to £30 million.
As part of long-overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme, councils can now keep all receipts from sales to invest in building and buying more homes. A full breakdown of funding allocations for each council is available.
The government's landmark Renters' Rights Bill is on track to become law this year, aiming to abolish Section 21 'no fault' evictions. This move is expected to provide more security for renters and reduce the risk of homelessness.
The government's Plan for Change has allocated a total funding of $26.9 million this year to homelessness services through the NSW Homelessness Innovation Fund. However, no other explicit total funding amount for homelessness services in this year’s Plan for Change was found outside of this NSW context.
The Deputy Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Housing to prioritize remaining departmental funds towards homelessness support. The new funding is intended to fix the broken rental market and get us back on track to end homelessness once and for all.
Councils received an additional £450 million last year to secure and create housing for families at risk of homelessness. An additional £20 million has been announced to ensure rough sleepers have a safe, warm place to stay with hot meals and specialist care.
The government's investment in housing has increased to £5 billion for this year, including a top-up of £800 million for the existing Affordable Homes Programme. This investment in housing is a clear indication of the government's commitment to improving living standards for working people and families and overhauling the private rented sector.
[1] Source: Government Press Release [2] Source: Portland City Council Press Release [3] Source: Australian Government Press Release
In this context, the following sentences can be constructed:
- The increase in funding for homelessness solutions, amounting to £60 million this year, also includes support for business ventures aimed at innovative solutions to end homelessness.
- Besides addressing the housing crisis, the UK government's investment in housing amounts to £5 billion for this year, part of which is allocated to finance businesses and improve the private rented sector.
