The Government has announced that it will support a new Homelessness Reduction Bill co-authored and sponsored by Julian Knight MP.
This new law would: mandate local councils to help people at risk of homelessness to find accommodation before they found themselves on the streets; provide 56 days of support to those already homeless; and make sure that other services refer people at risk of homelessness to a council’s housing teams.
The Bill has been tabled by Bob Blackman MP and is the result of a major report by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, on which Julian sits.
Since 2010 the Government has provided more than £500 million to councils and charities to help prevent homelessness, and councils have helped more than one million households stay in secure accommodation.
Central funding to tackle homelessness will also be increased by £139 million over the next four years.
Julian Knight said:
“I’m very pleased that the Government has decided to support the Homelessness Reduction Bill, and recognise the important work of me and my colleagues on the Communities and Local Government Committee.
“Nobody deserves to be homeless, and I’m proud to support a Government which has made such a serious commitment to tackling this problem.
“Since 2010 we have already helped more than a million households to avoid time on the streets, and with this new law and the new central funding planned by the Government we can make sure we help even more people in the years ahead.”