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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) amount, and (2) percentage, of the £3.2 billion funding announced for local authorities during the COVID-19 outbreak will be dedicated to support local authorities to secure self-contained accommodation and provide assistance to people sleeping rough and in night shelters.

The £3.2 billion of funding provided to local government is paid through a grant that is not ring-fenced, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide how this funding is spent. This funding will?enable local authorities to respond to COVID-19 pressures across all?the services they deliver, stepping up support for services helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.?This is in addition to £3.2 million in targeted funding for councils to support vulnerable rough sleepers.

More than 5,400?rough?sleepers?– over 90% of those on the streets?at the beginning of the crisis?known to local authorities have now been made offers of safe accommodation – ensuring some of the most vulnerable in society are protected from the pandemic.?This includes those rough sleeping or who have been living in accommodation with communal sleeping spaces such as night shelters.