Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to ensure that people who are street homeless this winter are given accommodation as they were at the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak.

We are committed to make sure that rough sleepers will be offered the support they need to get off the streets and are protected from the cold this winter.

Our work to support rough sleepers is not limited to the winter months. We made huge progress working with local authorities and their partners to protect rough sleepers during the pandemic. This work has not stopped, and by the end of January, we had supported over 37,000 people with over 11,000 in emergency accommodation and over 26,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation.

To make sure rough sleepers do not return to the streets, we are funding 6,000 long-term move-on homes for rough sleepers by the end of parliament, with the majority becoming available this year.

This year the Government has provided over £202 million across England for the 2021/22 Rough Sleeping Initiative , this is more than an 80% increase from the £112 million provided last year and funding will provide up to 14,500 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff. We are also providing £3 million Transformation fund to support faith and community groups to deliver better quality provision this year to be ready for people sleeping rough by winter 2021/22.

All of this provision is designed to provide an off the street offer and protect rough sleepers, including in extreme weather.