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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take after the lockdown has ended to help resettle people that became homeless during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has now announced £3.2 billion for local authorities to deal with emerging pressures as a result of COVID-19, including for housing and homelessness services. This is on top of the £492 million provided to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in 2020/21.

We have also introduced a package of measures to protect renters affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). With these in force, must give all renters 3 months’ notice if they intend to seek possession.

Further, the Chancellor recently announced that for 2020/21, we will increase the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that they are set at the 30th percentile of local rents. This will mean that many people renting in the Private Rented Sector see an increase in their housing support from April 2020, providing extra security during these uncertain times. The average claimant will gain an additional £600 per year in increased housing support.

The Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, came into force on 3 April 2018. The Act requires local authorities and other public bodies to work together to actively prevent homelessness for people at risk. This is backed by the £63 million Homelessness Reduction Grant in 2020/21 which provides an uplift on previous years’ new burdens funding to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act and will enable local authorities to do more to prevent and relieve homelessness in their areas.