Statement on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Funding

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping FundingStatement made on 28 February 2024

Statement UIN HCWS297

Statement made by Felicity Buchan, Minister for Housing and Homelessness

I am pleased to inform the House that my Department has today confirmed further funding for three of our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping grants:

• £107 million allocated through the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme;
• £109 million allocated to councils across England as a top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant to help address Ukraine and homelessness pressures; and
• £6 million allocated to London and across 101 local authorities in England, via the 2023/24 Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures funding, bringing the total of the fund to £10 million.

Taken together with our existing investment this means Government is providing nearly £2.4 billion to tackle homelessness and end rough sleeping between 2022 and 2025. These announcements build on the significant support we have put in through our rough sleeping strategy, Ending Rough Sleeping for Good,(opens in a new tab) and are a further example of our ongoing commitment to end rough sleeping.

We have confirmed today that we are allocating a further £107 million to councils in England through the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme. The Programme aims to increase the supply of high-quality accommodation with accompanying support for people with the longest histories of rough sleeping or the most complex needs and vulnerable young people (aged 18-25) who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping.

This allocation, following a final bidding round, will fund the delivery of 808 homes and three years of support for their occupants. This adds to 1,230 homes funded through the previous four bidding rounds. Meanwhile, we have funded 6,000 homes through the £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and housed over 1,090 people through the £42 million Housing First programme. The Government is also providing additional support to house Afghans and others in temporary accommodation through the £1.2 billion Local Authority Housing Fund, which is expected to deliver around 7,000 homes by 2026.

We have also confirmed today that councils in England will receive an additional £109 million in 2024/25 via a top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant. This funding can be used flexibly – for example, to offer financial support for people to find a new home or to work with landlords to prevent evictions, among other preventative measures, or to provide temporary accommodation.

This funding forms part of the £120 million UK-wide funding announced at Autumn Statement 2023 to help councils address homelessness pressures and support Ukrainian guests who can no longer remain in sponsorship in 2024/25. The remaining funding has been allocated to Scotland (£7.7 million), Wales (£2.6 million) and Northern Ireland (£0.6 million) to help prevent homelessness amongst Ukrainians.

Finally, we have given a further £6 million to councils in England through the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures funding, which builds on the initial allocation of £4 million announced in January. We know that winter is particularly high-risk for individuals who are sleeping rough, increasing the demand for immediate ‘off-the-street’ accommodation, and this funding will support councils to create additional off-street capacity and reduce the risk of deaths from exposure to extreme weather. This complements funding already provided to councils through the Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25, which totals over £547 million across three years.

The funding announced today forms part of a wider package of support for people who are homeless or sleeping rough, and further demonstrates the Government’s commitment to tackle homelessness and end rough sleeping, working in partnership with local government and the voluntary sector to achieve this ambitious aim.