(CLG) £65 million to fund further reductions in homelessness in London
| Published: 6th December 2007 07:26 |
Communities and Local Government (London)
People sleeping on the streets or staying in bed and breakfast accommodation in London will benefit from the biggest ever cash injection for homeless services, Junior Housing Minister Iain Wright announced today.
Councils will receive at least £65.4 million over three years to help them prevent and tackle homelessness in their areas, and will receive £21.8 million in homelessness grants next year.
All local authorities in the country will receive at least £30,000, with some receiving increases of 25 per cent higher than last year, including Newham in London.
This is the first time that Communities and Local Government has awarded a three- year settlement. This will help councils plan for the long term and achieve even more for their money. It will also help councils in London meet the targets to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by 50 per cent and end the use of bed and breakfast for 16 and 17 year olds by 2010.
Councils will be able to invest the funding in expanding successful prevention schemes such as rent deposit and mediation services, which have contributed to huge falls in homelessness, and make further reductions in rough sleeping by funding outreach and day-centre services.
Junior Housing Minister Iain Wright said: "This record funding will help councils in London step up their work to prevent and tackle homelessness. We've seen huge progress over the last decade with new cases of homelessness at the lowest levels in 20 years, rough sleeping has fallen by two-thirds, use of temporary accommodation is falling and the number of 16- and 17-year-olds in bed and breakfast has fallen by a third since we set the target a year ago. "But we know there is much still to do. We want to help families living in temporary accommodation into a settled home, provide better opportunities for young people facing homelessness and make further reductions in rough sleeping."
Latest statistics show that new cases of homelessness reported by local authorities in London have fallen by 20 per cent in comparison to the same period last year, to 3,220. The number of households placed in temporary accommodation is down 5 per cent compared to the same date last year, falling to 59,130 from 62,020. The figures show that almost nine out of ten (87 per cent) of all households in temporary accommodation are in self-contained homes with their own front door.
There are numerous examples of best practice in London boroughs. In Lambeth, for example, early intervention activity includes a Family Support Service, designed to prevent and alleviate homelessness through conflict resolution and family mediation. The service is advertised across the borough. Young people are offered support and referred to specialist services where required, and they or their parents can re-contact the team if things begin to deteriorate again. In the first three months of the service, 186 young people were seen, and only 28 referred on to temporary accommodation (TA) - a 50 per cent fall in acceptances. Of these, about 80 per cent were diverted from a crisis homelessness application and moved into emergency TA.
Camden uses supported accommodation as a prevention option. In 2006/07 about 25 per cent of 16/17-year-olds had homelessness prevented by finding them settled suitable accommodation. The council has developed a supported accommodation pathway for young people and has 320 units of accommodation for young people in total. A "move on" team has been recruited using Homelessness Grant. This will include a support worker to recruit and retain landlords, and a Young Person's Referral Co-ordinator, so there is a single access point to the pathway, and co-ordination of moves through.
By 2008 the Government will have invested £300m in prevention services.
Last November, the Government pledged to end the use of B&B as accommodation for homeless 16- and 17-year-olds as part of a national plan in partnership with the voluntary sector and local authorities, to prevent and tackle youth homelessness.
