Industry News


£38 million to boost accommodation for London’s homeless


the capital joining forces and extra financial support from the Government. Through an innovative new scheme London


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boroughs are combining to provide safe accommodation for families on the verge of homelessness. They are being backed by almost £38 million of funding over the next three years from the Government’s £1.2 billion overall investment in tackling homelessness. The additional homes will help provide a long-


term, stable solution for vulnerable families struggling to find secure accommodation, providing a safety net for those who may otherwise feel they have nowhere else to go. Currently, all London boroughs are responsible


for providing accommodation for those at risk of homelessness both inside and outside their area. This often leads to councils competing for the best accommodation, driving up prices and slowing down the provision of quality housing for the most vulnerable. The new scheme will stop this from happening


by encouraging London boroughs to work together in boosting accommodation to tackle homelessness across the capital. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said:


“Everyone deserves a safe and secure home. I’ve seen for myself how hard each of the London boroughs works to provide those that are homeless with the support they need and a roof over their heads. “This radical new way of working and


unprecedented collaboration between the boroughs and government will make a real difference – providing more accommodation for the vulnerable and helping them to get back on their feet and away from homelessness for good.”


COLLABORATION Councillor Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Planning, said:


Rough sleeping rises in most English cities


The number of rough sleepers rose in almost all of England’s major cities despite a modest fall across the whole country, according to official figures. Overall there were 4,677 people sleeping rough in England in late 2018, which represents a two per


housands of extra homes will be made available for vulnerable Londoners at risk of becoming homeless as a result of councils in


Thousands of extra homes will be made available for vulnerable Londoners at risk of becoming homeless as a result of councils in the capital joining forces and extra financial support from the Government


“With so many homeless households and so little accommodation available, London faces the country’s most serious homelessness challenge. “Capital Letters is a crucial opportunity to


do things differently – and we are extremely pleased to have the Government’s support for this innovative work. Through collaboration, boroughs will


collectively strengthen our market position and secure much better housing options for homeless Londoners.” To date, 11 London boroughs have signed up to


the scheme, with more expected to come on board in the future. Over the next three years, the scheme is expected to help over 35,000 households within Greater London out of homelessness. The councils are establishing a not-for-profit


company to deliver the Capital Letters programme. They will be tasked with providing this vital service


cent fall (equal to 74 people) on a year earlier. This is the first decline in eight years but the total is 165 per cent higher than in 2010. The Government has pledged to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and to eradicate it altogether by 2027. Almost a third of the rough sleepers were


counted in London, where the annual figure rose by 13 per cent. Big rises were also recorded in Birmingham (60 per cent) and Manchester (31 per cent). The place with the largest number of rough sleepers was Westminster, with 306 people on the streets. Rough sleeping figures fell outside of the


metropolitan areas with the biggest falls recorded in 8 | HMM February/March 2019 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


on behalf of the boroughs and will undertake the management of the homes which are provided. The joined-up approach will also give those at


risk of homelessness the chance to stay closer to where they currently live, meaning that disruption to their employment or education can be reduced during what is already a difficult time. Capital Letters is being supported by the


Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the Government’s commitment to addressing homelessness and encouraging collaborative solutions to tackle the issue. A group of 11 boroughs will join Capital Letters


initially, with others expected to become members at a later stage. The initial members are Tower Hamlets, Bexley, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Brent, Ealing, Barking and Dagenham, Croydon, Lewisham, Redbridge and Southwark.


the south east, south west and the east of England. Brighton and Hove saw the biggest fall, down 114 per cent to 64 people on the streets. Charities working with the homeless and rough


sleepers believe the true figure is much higher. Research for the charity Crisis undertaken by Heriot Watt University estimates that 12,300 people were sleeping on Britain’s streets last year, with a further 12,000 spending the night in cars, trains, buses or tents. Fourteen per cent of the people recorded sleeping


rough were women, the same as in 2017; and six per cent were aged 25 years or under, compared to eight per cent in 2017.


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