PICTURED: Homeless man, stock image
READING West MP Alok Sharma talks this week about plans to end rough sleeping. He writes; The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping in this Parliament and to fully enforcing the Homelessness Reduction Act. That is why we will be spending more than £750 million in 2021/22 to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government has this week announced the allocation of a key element of this overall investment: £310 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant that will be made available to local authorities in 2021/22 to support them in delivering services to prevent and tackle homelessness.
Details
The £310 million Homelessness Prevention Grant combines and increases what was previously the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant and Homelessness Reduction Grant. In 2021-22 we have combined these two funding streams and increased them by £47 million, giving local authorities more control and flexibility in managing homelessness pressures and supporting those who at risk of homelessness.
In our review of the Homelessness Reduction Act we committed to reviewing the new burdens funding associated with the Act. This review has been completed and is reflected in the £310 million allocated for the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Published 21 December 2020