Funding to provide new homes for rough sleepers

More than £150 million is to be made available across England to provide a permanent place to live for some of the most vulnerable in society.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced that more than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been approved. Backed by government investment in excess of £150 million, the new homes will be made available in every region of England.

It is hoped that this will enable people who sleep rough, or at risk of sleeping rough, to be rehoused in secure, long-term accommodation, providing some of the most vulnerable in society with a permanent place to live and help to rebuild their lives.

In total, 276 schemes have been approved across England, including 38 in London alone, which will provide 904 new homes for rough sleepers. Outside of London, 238 councils have received approval to move to the next phase of development, encompassing 2,430 new homes.

The homes will be available by the end of March 2021 and are part of the government’s plan to deliver 6,000 new homes for rough sleepers by the end of this Parliament.

Jenrick said: “Our Everyone In plan is widely considered the most effective action taken by any country in the world to protect those sleeping rough from the pandemic. And that work hasn’t stopped - 29,000 rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been supported into safe accommodation since the start of Covid-19.

“The next step in our mission is to ensure they have a more settled home. Which is why we are providing over £150 million, as part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to deliver over 3,000 new long-term homes across England, giving them the stability and security they need to start to rebuild their lives.”