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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1253, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of moving Afghan people out of bridging hotels on the number of those people facing homelessness.

The majority of Afghan families have been moved out of bridging accommodation into longer-term accommodation. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.

Since 1 July 2023, the Department has been monitoring homelessness duties owed by English local authorities following the closure of Home Office provided bridging accommodation and this data is available on gov.uk at the following link.

There is a generous package of support available including £35 million of funding for councils to support Afghan households to move into settled accommodation, and the £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those on the Afghan and Ukrainian schemes who are at risk of homelessness. The fund is expected to provide over 4,000 homes by 2024.