Suffolk leaders asked to commit £1million to tackle homelessness
The decision is due during the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders group meeting later this week.
Suffolk leaders are being asked to commit £1 million to prevent homelessness across the county.
The decision is due during the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders (SPSL) group meeting later this week.
The SPSL is a group made up of the leaders of the six principal councils, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the chairperson of the local Integrated Care Systems.
The group is funded through Suffolk’s business rates pool — with £5.2 million available this financial year — and is meant to ease cooperation across councils on specific issues.
On Friday, leaders will be discussing a proposal to commit £1 million to transition councils to a more localised providing of Housing Related Support (HRS).
This follows Suffolk County Council’s (SCC) decision in February to cut £1 million from its HRS this financial year, and £2 million in 2025/26, ultimately axing its support in a bid to make savings — at the same time, the county council decided to hold back £1.5 million to help mitigate initial impacts.
The current annual cost of the service is £4.122 million and provides 5.4 hours of support per person each week in up to 725 accommodation places.
Local councils fea if HRS is cut completely, many struggling residents will fall into homelessness.
Friday’s approval also comes at a time when local councils are considering their measures to ensure funding is available, with West Suffolk Council having approved an initial £200,00 investment last Wednesday.