Homeless Households In England Up By 23% In A Year

The number of households considered newly homeless or at risk of becoming so has increased by almost 7,000 in just three months across England, according to government figures. Between April and June 2019, 68,170 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, representing an 11.4% increase from the same period last year. Of those, 32,220 households were deemed to be homeless – an increase of 23% on the same time period last year. The number of households living in temporary accommodation at hostels, bed and breakfasts, hotels and elsewhere was already at its highest level since 2007, and rose another 1,500 to 86,130. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/18/homeless-households-in-england-up-by-23-in-a-year-official-figures

Homelessness: Finance – House of Lords Written Answer

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement in the Autumn Statement, what level of funding will be made available to local authorities in 2017–18 to replace the management fee currently paid for each homeless household in temporary accommodation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Spending Review and Autumn Statement announced that funding of the Temporary Accommodation management fee will be devolved to local authorities from 2017/18, giving them more freedom and flexibility in how they use this funding. Current levels of funding will be maintained and, in addition, councils will receive £10 million a year more.

Homelessness Support Fails Families with Young Children

Support for the estimated 15,700 babies living in homeless households needs to urgently improve, a damning report by the NSPCC and Anna Freud Centre has found. The report, An Unstable Start: Spotlight on Homelessness, details how poor co-ordination of local services is leaving homeless parents of children aged up to two struggling to access support and stable housing. Many are forced to live in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation and hostels, or be put up by family and friends.  Among the recommendations is for the government to bring in a "gold standard" for the high-quality support a homelessness service should provide for pregnant women and families with babies. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.