CIH responds to homelessness funding announcement

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have today (21 December 2021) announced a £316 million funding package to tackle homelessness.

The Homelessness Prevention Grant will support households in England who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

Funding will be allocated to all councils responsible for housing in England based on local homelessness need in individual areas, and councils will be able to use the money to help people find a new home, move into temporary accommodation, and access support for evictions to prevent homelessness before it occurs. The package also includes £5.8 million for those forced into homelessness by domestic abuse, which will ensure that “priority need” is given to people in abusive situations.

Responding to the announcement, CIH policy and public affairs officer Alexandra Gibson said:

“The funding announced this morning, on top of yesterday’s announcement of £28 million to help people rough sleeping get their Covid-19 vaccines and move into safe accommodation, provides a welcome opportunity for local authorities to be able to direct practical support into the communities that need it most. It is a significant step forward in helping to alleviate the risk of eviction and homelessness, and with the shocking increase in domestic abuse during the pandemic, it is vital that councils in England are given more resource to provide safe accommodation for survivors.

"We are pleased to learn that the funding will be allocated to all councils responsible for housing in England based on local homelessness need in individual areas, an indication that the department intends to put ‘levelling up’ at the centre of how funding is distributed.

"The packages announced over the last couple of days will help thousands of people at risk of losing their homes across England, but it remains unacceptable that rough sleeping and homelessness remain so widespread. A shortage of genuinely affordable housing and a welfare system that does not properly support people on low incomes to meet their housing costs are two major contributors to the housing crisis that this country faces. We need a coordinated government approach and long-term financial plans to end homelessness, which starts with investment in building many more homes for social rent."