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| £60 MILLION TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS |
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| Release date: 11 Dec 2003 |
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Local authorities and voluntary organisations across the country will receive a share of £60 million in 2004/05 to support them in tackling homelessness more effectively, homelessness Minister Jeff Rooker announced today.
Councils throughout England will receive around £45 million from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, to support the continued implementation of their homelessness strategies.
Voluntary organisations funded directly by ODPM will also benefit, receiving around £15 million to support their work with homeless people.
Speaking at the Association of London Government's homelessness conference today, Jeff Rooker said:
'This funding is good news for local authorities and the voluntary sector and demonstrates our continued commitment to tackling and preventing homelessness. The additional resources will support local authorities in delivering their homelessness strategies which they had to publish for the first time this year.
'The funding will also help to ensure that local authorities do not use bed and breakfast hotels for homeless families with children and will sustain achievements in reducing levels of rough sleeping.'
Latest homelessness statistics published today show that the number of homeless families with children living in B&B accommodation for more than six weeks has continued to fall and in September was 1,590 compared with 1,980 in June.
The figures, which cover July to September 2003, also show that the total number of families with children in B&B accommodation at the end of September was 3,190 - a fall of 14 per cent since June.
Jeff Rooker continued:
'As expected, the latest statistics show that we are tackling two of the worst manifestations of homelessness effectively - we are on target to ensure that no homeless family with children has to live in B&B, and we are successfully sustaining the rough sleeping target, which was met two years ago.
'However, as we predicted, overall levels of homelessness are increasing. Local authorities' homelessness reviews and strategies help to explain at a local level the reasons for the increases and their plans for addressing them.
'Local authorities now need to ensure that they deliver these plans efficiently and effectively and the money I am announcing today supports them in this work.'
Twenty-one of London's 33 boroughs have ended, or are close to ending, the use of B&B for families with children. Nearly 80 per cent of local authorities across the country have met, or are very close to meeting, the April 2004 target early.
Welcoming the local government funding, Tony Newman, Chair of Housing for the Association of London Government, said:
'London boroughs have reduced the number of families with children in B&B for more than six weeks by 73 per cent in the last year.
'The funding announced today will go towards helping boroughs make the use of B&Bs a thing of the past.
'There is still a lot to be done to reduce the reliance of B&B, and to tackle the rising numbers living in other forms of temporary accommodation.'
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| reference: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2003_0263 |
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| Article Id: | 83563 | | Release date: | 11 Dec 2003 |
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Copyright EMBRACE West Midlands 2010
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