21.12.16
Khan announces £50m ‘move-on’ fund to house the homeless
The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced plans for a £50m fund to help homeless people move on from hostels and refuges and back into long-term accommodation.
The ‘move-on’ housing fund will provide two-year tenancies to homeless people ready for independent living.
The housing funding is available to housing providers to support building as part of Khan’s £3.15bn Affordable Homes Programme, which was agreed with the government in last month’s Autumn Statement.
Speaking at the Marylebone Project, which provides temporary accommodation to homeless women, Khan said: “Homelessness is a complicated problem and it will take time to turn things around, but I’m determined we do everything we can to support people from becoming homeless and help them if they do.
“This is why I’ve set out plans to invest £50m in accommodation for people moving from hostels to long-term independent living, alongside the £9m we spend every year on rough sleeping services.”
Khan also allocated funding to a specialist service designed to support women who are rough sleeping on the streets.
The specialist service is The Female Hidden Homeless Project, run by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, which will be given additional funding for mental health support.
Khan added: “Rough sleeping can be very dangerous, and homeless women are particularly vulnerable to abuse, which is why the specialist services provided by places like the Marylebone Project and the Female Hidden Homeless Project that I am supporting are much needed.”
The mayor’s announcement follows news that Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is looking to innovatively use grants from government to tackle homelessness. Last week, the GMCA announced that it was seeking funding from all three strands of the government’s £40m homelessness scheme to create an integrated approach to homelessness in Manchester.
(Image, c. Trowbridge Estate)
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