Shapps: 'Invest To Save' and Offer Support to Vulnerable People

Councils must 'invest to save' and protect their most disadvantaged residents, Housing Minister Grant Shapps has said.  The Minister urged town halls to follow Whitehall's example and protect Supporting People funding to help the most vulnerable in their communities.  In a letter to council leaders, he reminded councils as they set their budgets they should consider evidence showing that every pound spent through this housing support services saves £3 - in reduced costs in homelessness, tenancy failure, crime, health and residential care packages.  So the £1.6 billion invested annually in Supporting People can save as much as £3.41 billion in the costs of alternative help for vulnerable people in our communities. The Government protected £6.5 billion funding for Supporting People over the course of the Spending Review - representing a less than one per cent cash reduction in funding each year.  Read more on the CLG website.