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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what additional steps he plans to take to support local authorities in reducing the number of families living in temporary accommodation.

This Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs. That is why we are spending £2 billion over the next three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

For 2022/2023, local authorities have been allocated £316 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. This funding was provided to local authorities in April and will allow local authorities to offer financial support for people and families to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions, or to provide temporary accommodation to ensure families have a roof over their head. It includes £5.8 million funding to cover the cost of extending priority need to those who are made homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse, following the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The funding continues to support local authorities to fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act so that more people get help sooner to prevent homelessness.