Labour doubles emergency homelessness funding to £60m: ‘No one should live in fear of losing their home’

The government has doubled emergency funding for homelessness services as the number of people without a safe place to live continues to surge out of control.

Labour announced an extra £30 million of winter pressures funding, targeting 295 areas that are facing the highest risks of homelessness through housing costs and rent arrears.

The funding is intended to allow councils to keep people in their homes before eviction notices are served and to support rough sleepers off the streets into accommodation.

The cash injection is the latest emergency homelessness funding from the government this winter following £10m announced before Christmas to bolster emergency accommodation and help rough sleepers off the streets. The government then added a further £20m to the pot to provide accommodation with access to hot meals and specialist care.

The latest funding comes after housing secretary Angela Rayner personally directed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to prioritise remaining departmental funds towards homelessness support, the government said.

Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali said: “No one should be forced live in constant fear of losing their home and too many people are being pushed to the brink of homelessness as a direct consequence of the system we’ve inherited. 

“That’s why I’m providing an extra £30 million in emergency support for councils – taking real, immediate action to stop people falling through the cracks, stay in their homes, and help them rebuild their lives. 

“Our Plan for Change is tackling the worst housing crisis in a generation by delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation, fixing the broken rental market and getting us back on track to end homelessness once and for all.”

Rayner is leading an inter-ministerial group on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping that is expected to publish a long-awaited long-term homelessness strategy later this year. 

The government has pledged to spend £1bn in addressing the issue including an increase in spending on preventing homelessness.

The latest emergency funding, which comes just days before the latest official annual rough sleeping snapshot, is also focused on preventing people from falling into homelessness. The government said it will mean councils are dealing with fewer people reaching crisis point, freeing up resources and easing demand on social services, health care and emergency housing teams.

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Rising homelessness has put pressure on local authorities with record-high numbers of people living in temporary accommodation.

Frontline homelessness charities are also facing cash concerns ahead of the summer’s comprehensive spending review.

Homeless Link, the membership charity for frontline homelessness organisations, has called on the Treasury to reform funding for the sector at the spending review.

Requested reforms include immediate support for services struggling with national insurance rises and local authority budget pressures as well as cross-departmental spending for more social housing, widespread adoption of Housing First and reform to the benefits system.

Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, said last month: “We are calling for a wholesale review and reset of the funding system and a national homelessness strategy that shifts the focus from crisis management to prevention to ensure that people do not lose their homes in the first place and that those individuals on our streets get the support they need to move-on for good.”

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