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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to support rough sleepers in the Hendon constituency during winter 2021-22.

The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping within this Parliament, and we are spending over £800 million this year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

In total Barnet has been allocated at least £15.55 million in grant funding in 2021/22 to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, which is significant investment to reduce the number of people rough sleeping in the area, including in Hendon. Through the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI4) they received £1.12 million which will provide vital frontline services. Barnet received £7.49 million through the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to deliver 55 longer term homes to those who are rough sleeping, or who have a history of sleeping rough.

Barnet received £6.85 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant including funding to help vulnerable households with rent arrears to reduce the risk of them being evicted and becoming homeless. Barnett were also granted £95,388 through the Homelessness Transformation Fund to provide 16 beds for rough sleepers this winter.