Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2020 to Question 105417 on Night Shelters: Coronavirus, what estimate he has made of the cost per night shelter of transforming their traditional models to be covid-19-secure.

We worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to provide Operating Principles for the sector, to help them open shelters as safely as possible where necessary, when self-contained accommodation cannot be made available and when local partners agree that it’s the right thing to do.

Faith and community groups provide a range of services through winter months and the costs associated with making changes to operate in a Covid-19 secure way may vary. We have announced funding that will give local areas the tools they need to support vulnerable rough sleepers this winter. Our £10 million Cold Weather Fund is available to all local authorities to help them to bring forward self-contained accommodation and to support rough sleepers off the streets. Meanwhile, our £2 million Transformation Fund will help move the faith and community sector a more innovative and Covid-secure options for those who use shelters.