Suffolk charity welcomes Government funding to tackle and prevent homelessness
Almost £1 billion pounds of new funding will be distributed to local councils next year to prevent and tackle homelessness in England
Last updated 23 hours ago
A local homeless charity in Suffolk which relies on the support of the public to continue its services could soon see more help from the government.
It's as it's announced today that almost £1 billion pounds of new funding will be distributed to local councils next year to prevent and tackle homelessness in England - the government's described it as the 'largest-ever' investment in the issue.
Claire Staddon is from Emmaus Suffolk.
She told us it's been a difficult year for charities like Emmaus: "Unfortunately like everybody else, we are seeing a deficit at the moment with next year's cash projections because of the National Insurance changes and the real living wage.
"Utility bills are also not being kind to anyone."
She explained that previously, funding has not been reliable or guaranteed, which is why they rely on donations: "Things are expensive and we want to make sure that our core services are free to access, so it's imperative for us we generate 50% of our costs through our own social enterprises.
"That still leaves us a 50% deficit that we need to fill through local grant funding."
The Government's plan
The Government says it's aiming to help break the cycle of spiralling homelessness and will do this by focusing on three key areas:
- Stopping households from becoming homeless in the first place.
- Addressing the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation.
- Streamlining funding structures to make it easier for councils to spend their cash.
What the money will go towards
This money from the Government will allow more resources for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing, as well as seeing more homeless families out of temporary accommodation.
This plan also allows councils to step in and mediate with landlords or families to prevent evictions and help find new homes as well as deposits so people can access private renting.
Local areas can also choose to channel resources into services, such as Housing First.
Councils will be able to continue funding that offers tailored support for prison leavers to access private rented homes, locally run programmes with new education and employment opportunities, and support groups to avoid them facing homelessness and readjusting to life on the outside.
No-Fault Evictions
This funding is just one element of the government’s Plan for Change to fix the housing crisis, strengthen protections and rights for tenants, and deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, one of the leading causes of homelessness, will be abolished as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill. This will give greater security to new and existing tenancies and empower tenants to rightly challenge poor conditions.
Social Housing
The government has also published a new growth-focused National Planning Policy Framework which gives councils greater powers to build more social homes alongside vital infrastructure such as GP surgeries, schools and shops.
An extra £500 million will go to the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.
The Government is also bringing forward overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme to reverse the decline in much-needed council housing and better protect existing housing stock.