Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to addiction support services to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme funds drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. It aims to improve access to treatment, including for those with co-occurring mental health needs. For 2025/26, the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme has provided £419,394 to East Sussex County Council. From 2026/27 to 2028/29, we have committed £185 million to the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme overall and East Sussex will continue to receive funding.
As set out in A National Plan to End Homelessness, we recognise the need for specialist mental health support for individuals who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. The NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping programme is supporting better access to specialist homelessness mental health support. Across the country, 37 multi-agency teams have developed services that have significantly reduced mental health crisis admissions to emergency departments as well as the length of stay in hospital.
The independent evaluation of the NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping Programme will be published shortly and we will engage with local system leaders to share the full findings. It is the responsibility of local systems to commission mental health services for their population based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to mental health services to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme funds drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. It aims to improve access to treatment, including for those with co-occurring mental health needs. For 2025/26, the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme has provided £419,394 to East Sussex County Council. From 2026/27 to 2028/29, we have committed £185 million to the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme overall and East Sussex will continue to receive funding.
As set out in A National Plan to End Homelessness, we recognise the need for specialist mental health support for individuals who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. The NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping programme is supporting better access to specialist homelessness mental health support. Across the country, 37 multi-agency teams have developed services that have significantly reduced mental health crisis admissions to emergency departments as well as the length of stay in hospital.
The independent evaluation of the NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping Programme will be published shortly and we will engage with local system leaders to share the full findings. It is the responsibility of local systems to commission mental health services for their population based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure people experiencing homelessness can access mental health and addiction support.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care as part of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to develop our cross-government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness. Our Plan includes measures to support people experiencing homelessness to access mental health and drug and alcohol support.
The Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping will continue to work across government to maintain collaboration and assure delivery of the commitments in this strategy. It will also publish progress reports every two years that monitor progress on the implementation of measures set out in this strategy, including our national cross-government targets.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of including anti-racism measures in the Competence and Conduct Standard for social landlords on the levels of homelessness amongst people from Black ethnic groups.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A Public Sector Equalities Assessment was published as part of our consultation on the detailed policy supporting the competence and conduct standard for social housing staff. It can be found here.
It considered the impact the new standards might have for people with protected characteristics. This assessment was then reviewed in light of feedback received through the consultation.
The Competence and Conduct standard requires senior housing managers and executives to undertake qualifications which develop their knowledge and skills of housing management and engagement with tenants in relation to: equality, diversity and inclusion; awareness of a range of needs and vulnerabilities; effective engagement with tenants; and delivering respectful and professional housing services.
These criteria are designed to improve the experience of social housing tenants by ensuring senior staff can understand and respond to the diverse needs of tenants, including those related to age, disability, race, gender, and other protected characteristics.
The Regulator’s Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, which came into force in April 2024, also places clear requirements on landlords to deliver fair and equitable outcomes for their tenants and prospective tenants. This includes using relevant information and data to understand the diverse needs of tenants, including those arising from protected characteristics to deliver more inclusive services.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which temporary accommodation provided by local authorities includes access to essential (a) furniture and (b) household appliances.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not collect data on the furniture and appliances provided in temporary accommodation.
Local authorities can use the Household Support Fund up until March 31, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture and household appliances.
Chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance includes information on the suitability of accommodation and makes clear that accommodation which may lack or require sharing of important amenities, such as cooking and laundry facilities, should be avoided wherever possible. You can access the Code of Guidance on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on ensuring that temporary accommodation includes access to basic (a) cooking and (b) washing facilities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not collect data on the furniture and appliances provided in temporary accommodation.
Local authorities can use the Household Support Fund up until March 31, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture and household appliances.
Chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance includes information on the suitability of accommodation and makes clear that accommodation which may lack or require sharing of important amenities, such as cooking and laundry facilities, should be avoided wherever possible. You can access the Code of Guidance on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to help ensure homeless people who are displaced can return to their local authority for support.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils should, wherever possible, seek to place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse).
The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks.
This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan.
We have published new data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many out of area placements there are in (a) Eastbourne, (b) East Sussex, (c) the South East and (d) England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils should, wherever possible, seek to place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse).
The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks.
This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan.
We have published new data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Out of Area housing placements on the receiving local authority.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils should, wherever possible, seek to place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse).
The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks.
This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan.
We have published new data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the model for out of area placements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils should, wherever possible, seek to place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse).
The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks.
This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan.
We have published new data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data on gov.uk here.