PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Homelessness: Children (29 January 2020)

The use of temporary accommodation means people are getting help and ensures no family is without a roof over their head.

Any accommodation secured by a local authority for a homeless household must meet the standards in ‘The homelessness code of guidance,’ which sets out in detail what the authority must take into account when considering the accommodation’s suitability for a homeless household.

The code of guidance can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation is a priority for this Government and we have allocated over £1.2 billion over the last three years to tackle all forms of homelessness. This includes:

• Implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act;
• Providing a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant for homelessness services; and
• The Private Rented Sector Access Fund that will enable thousands of households to be supported into long-term private rented accommodation; and
• Launching Capital Letters, a project which works with London Boroughs through a centralised procurement process to improve the supply of homes, reduce the cost to local authorities of procuring these homes and achieve better outcomes of homeless families.