- Charities call on Government to fix £1bn hole in homelessness services
- £11m invested in modular homes for homeless families in London
- Survey finds that Government targets to end rough sleeping will not be met
- Blog Watch: The research behind the Autism & Homelessness Toolkit
" />
Posted 26.04.19
Homeless Link: Further reading
Nine years of government cuts have left local services for single homeless people with a £1bn a year funding gap, according to major new research commissioned by St Mungo's and Homeless Link.
The charities are warning that cuts to council budgets are leaving increasing numbers of people at risk on the streets. They are calling on the Government to act now to make up the funding shortfall - or face missing its target of ending rough sleeping by 2027.
The report - Local Authority Spending on Homelessness, by WPI Economics - shows that council spending on support for single homeless people in England fell by 53% between 2008-9 and 2017-18.
This means that local authorities in England are now spending almost £1 billion less a year on these vital homelessness services compared to ten years ago.
Overall, more than £5 billion less has been spent on services for single homeless people over the past nine years than would have been spent had funding continued at 2008-9 levels.
During the same period, homelessness in England has risen dramatically - with the number of people sleeping rough now 165% higher than it was in 2010.
*****
Posted 23.04.19
Mayor of London: Further reading
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has agreed to invest £11 million into temporary modular homes to help homeless families in the Capital.
There are currently more than 54,000 homeless households living in 'temporary accommodation' in London - more than four-fifths of whom are families with children.
'Temporary accommodation' typically means privately rented flats, and can also include B&Bs and hostels. It is often expensive and can force families to move from their local area.
In an attempt to offer high-quality, local temporary accommodation for families instead, London boroughs have joined forces with the Mayor to manufacture 'modular' homes - which are constructed off-site and then placed temporarily on land that is unused as it awaits permanent development.
The funding will deliver up to 200 such affordable homes to rent on sites across London.
The initiative is run by the Pan-London Accommodation Collaborative Enterprise (PLACE), a not-for-profit company hosted by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on behalf of the councils involved.
*****
Posted 04.04.19
New Local Government Network (NLGN): Further reading
Government targets for rough sleeping will not be met according to a quarterly survey of all council chief executives, leaders and mayors across the UK.
The NLGN Leadership Index found that:
Focusing on predominantly urban councils, the figures rise substantially (61% and 38%).
The news will come as a blow to the Government given the Rough Sleeping Strategy launched just last year includes targets to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eradicate it by 2027.
This has been accompanied by extra funding allocations, particularly for those local authorities with the highest numbers of rough sleepers. As NLGN's survey reveals, however, this is not proving adequate.
Councils cite unsustainable funding, welfare and lack of suitable accommodation among the obstacles preventing them from meeting Government targets.
*****
Updated 01.04.19
*****
Headlines in this section last month:
Return to this month's headlines
