Extra funding has been announced by the Chancellor in the Spending Review to help councils support people at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping during COVID-19.
This provides £254 million of additional resource funding, including £103 million announced earlier this year for accommodation and substance misuse.
New funding will also be provided to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies as well as £87 million of capital funding in 2021/22 for long-term accommodation for rough sleepers.
Cllr David Renard, LGA Housing Spokesperson, said councils have done “an incredible job” getting people sleeping rough off the streets and accommodating more than 29,000 people since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The additional funding will help councils to continue to support people at risk of rough sleeping and homelessness.
He added: “We would also urge the Government to temporarily remove the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. In the longer-term, it is important that there is a shift towards investing in homelessness prevention services.”
The Chancellor also announced nearly £20 billion in multi-year capital investment to underpin the Government’s long-term housing strategy, including a National Home Building Fund, with an initial £7.1 billion over four years to unlock up to 860,000 homes.
The LGA said the further investment was good but called for councils to be given the powers and resources to build more council homes, supported by the required infrastructure.