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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the rise in levels of homelessness and rough sleeping in England.

The Government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness. One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new national £10 million programme to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, building on the success of our No Second Night Out initiative. We are also developing a new national £10 million Social Impact Bond fund to help to help homeless people with the most complex needs such as mental health difficulties or addiction.

At Budget we went one step further and announced we will launch a new £100 million programme for low-cost move on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.

We are working with local authorities, homelessness charities and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.