Housing Solicitors

The government has announced new measures to help tackle homelessness and ensure there is a strong safety net in place for the most vulnerable people in society.

Communities Minister Marcus Jones announced the new measures to tackle homelessness, including maintaining and protecting homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement, totalling £315 million by 2019-2020.

Central government will also increase funding for homelessness programmes to £139 million over the government’s Spending Review period.

There will also be a commitment to working with homelessness organisations and across government departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

The Department of Health will also give £40 million to refurbish hostels and provide low-cost, shared accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness – with an extra £30 million for councils, to give them more control and flexibility over homelessness budgets, by devolving the funding for managing temporary accommodation from 2017-2018.

An additional £5 million in funding will go to the 25 local authorities facing the greatest pressures in moving people out of temporary accommodation and into a settled home.

Communities Minister Marcus Jones said:

“We are committed to helping the most vulnerable people in our society – the protection of the Homelessness Prevention Grant in the Local Government Finance Settlement shows our continued commitment to tackling homelessness.

“Statutory homelessness acceptances are now less than half the 2003 to 2004 peak, but we are determined to ensure that anybody who needs help gets it.

“We have made over £500 million available since 2010, which has prevented nearly a million people becoming homeless.

“We are committed to build on this over the next four years – and work with the sector to do all we can to prevent homelessness.”

The Communities Minister also confirmed that he would work with homelessness organisations and across government departments to explore options – including legislation – to prevent more people from facing a homelessness crisis in the first place.

The government has also announced a new £5 million fund that will help 25 councils facing the greatest pressure in temporary accommodation.

Marcus Jones added:

“Time spent in temporary accommodation ensures no family is without a roof over their head – and the number of households living in temporary accommodation is still significantly lower now than the peak in 2005, but we recognise that many councils still face significant challenges.

“This funding will help alleviate some of the immediate pressures and allow those councils that most need it the breathing space to innovate and focus on preventing people becoming homeless in the first place.”

The government is also giving local authorities more control and flexibility over homelessness budgets by devolving the funding for managing temporary accommodation – from 2017-2018, an extra £10 million every year is being allocated to areas under the most pressure, to give them more flexibility and choice in how they respond to homelessness.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors are one of the UK’s leading providers of Legal Aid housing advice and can advise social housing tenants and private rental tenants on a wide range of housing matters, including Local Authority housing, as well as:

• Disrepair of rented property
• Anti-social behaviour problems
• Housing Benefit
• Housing fraud
• Housing possession
• Local Authority housing
• Local council’s obligation to re-house
• Nuisance neighbours
• Right to Buy
• Tenancy agreements
• Unlawful eviction.

For expert legal advice on housing law, call Duncan Lewis housing solicitors on 0333 772 0409.