Thank you for contacting me about ending homelessness.
I agree. That is why the Government has taken a range of actions to tackle homelessness, including prevention.
There is a firm commitment across government to deliver more social and genuinely affordable homes, underpinned by the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (2021-26) which will deliver tens of thousands of new homes. The government spends over £50 billion a year for rent and is once again increasing the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of market rents from April 2024. This will mean that 1.6 million low-income households will be around £800 a year better off on average in 2024-25.
The government also announced an additional £120 million in funding for local authorities to invest in homelessness prevention, as part of its commitment to reduce the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs. I understand that, since 2018, over 640,000 households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation through the Homelessness Reduction Act.
I hope this response has highlighted a strong commitment across government to tackle homelessness.
