Swindon Borough Council will receive an additional £1.9million of government funding to prevent vulnerable people becoming homeless in 2021/22, the Communities Secretary has announced.
Across the country, £310million will be targeted at areas with high numbers of homeless people, those at risk of homelessness or those living in temporary accommodation, helping them to rebuild their lives.
The funding represents a £47million increase on this year and can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions or to provide temporary accommodation to ensure families have a roof over their head.
The investment underlines the government’s commitment to fully enforcing the Homelessness Reduction Act by ensuring councils have the funding they need to prevent homelessness and help more people sooner.
It is part of overall investment of more than £750million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping next year.
It builds on the ongoing Everyone In campaign, which is protecting thousands of lives during the pandemic by housing rough sleepers.
By September, the campaign had supported over 29,000 vulnerable people, with two-thirds now moved into settled accommodation.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “As we look back on an incredibly challenging year, everyone who has helped protect rough sleepers and those at risk of homelessness during this pandemic should be proud of the role they have played in our internationally-recognised response.
“I am announcing £310million to help councils protect those at risk of homelessness in the year ahead.
“We have a moral duty to help some of the most vulnerable people in our society rebuild their lives and look forward to a brighter future, and this funding will help us to realise that ambition.”
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson and South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “We are very proud of the work the Government has done to support people who are homeless, in particular those who are rough sleeping. The Government is rightly continuing to invest in this work, providing £750million to tackle the issue next year and work towards it’s goal of eliminating rough sleeping by 2027.”
