More than £3.3 million has been earmarked for Luton as part of a government drive to end rough sleeping, with the town’s housing chief describing the investment as the “serious, sustained” funding the council has been calling for.
The money is part of a £442million national package announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, which aims to offer everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets this winter and ultimately end rough sleeping altogether.
Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, said Luton would receive more than £3.3 million from the funding package.
The government says the new funding will provide emergency accommodation and support this winter, while also helping local areas deliver more than 1,000 settled homes over the next three years.
It will also provide practical help with housing, health and other needs, with the government saying the aim is not simply to get people off the streets but to help them build more stable lives.
For Luton Council, the announcement has been welcomed as an opportunity to tackle rough sleeping over the longer term.
Councillor Alia Khan, portfolio holder for Housing, said: “As Cabinet Member for Housing, I’m not prepared to accept rough sleeping as something Luton just lives with. This funding is exactly the serious, sustained investment we’ve been calling for, and it will have a profound impact on some of our most vulnerable residents.”
The announcement comes a month after Councillor Khan welcomed the Prime Minister’s initial commitment to end rough sleeping and increase council housebuilding, while warning that new homes would need to be part of a much wider approach to tackling inequality.
She had called for new housing to be “decent, inclusive and accessible” and said Luton needed a particular focus on smaller development sites because of the limited availability of large parcels of land in the town.
She also argued that investment needed to be linked to improvements in the wider public realm and infrastructure.
The latest government announcement is intended to combine immediate help with longer-term measures. The £442 million nationwide package includes £340 million announced in July for settled accommodation for people experiencing long-term rough sleeping, plus a further £102 million for immediate routes off the streets this winter.
The government also says £8.4 million of the new national funding will go to its Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, supporting smaller and medium-sized organisations working with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
That element could be particularly significant in Luton, where charities and faith groups already play a role in supporting people experiencing homelessness.
Ms Owen said: “In Luton North we look after each other – in the dry heat of this summer and the cold winter to come. But for those of us who have tried various means of supporting rough sleepers, we know too often the solutions are short-term and don’t last.
“That’s why the Prime Minister’s pledge to end rough sleeping for good is so important, and so needed.
“Our community already has some very hard-working charities and faith groups working on this area, but funding is always a problem. This award of £3.3m for Luton will go a long way to changing that.”
Rachel Hopkins, MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, also welcomed the announcement.
She said: “Luton Council do great work tackling homelessness and rough sleeping across our town.
“New funding from this Labour Government will back their work to go further, with immediate action this winter and support to make long-lasting change.”
The government says local areas will be expected to work with councils, charities, businesses, faith groups and other organisations as part of the national drive.
A national summit involving representatives from business, finance, charities, health and faith communities is also due to take place in the autumn.
The announcement comes as Luton Council continues to work with local partners on preventing homelessness and supporting people at risk of rough sleeping. Its housing strategy review says the council has developed a multi-agency approach, including regular meetings focused on people who are rough sleeping and efforts to identify housing solutions and prevent homelessness.
The government’s ambition is for everyone sleeping rough to be offered a route off the streets by Christmas, while the longer-term funding is intended to help people move into settled accommodation and avoid returning to rough sleeping.
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