Blackpool Receives £2.86 Million Funding to Combat Homelessness

Blackpool is set to receive £2.86 million in government funding to address homelessness, following recent figures that indicate an increase in the number of individuals without a stable home. The council for the Lancashire town will be allocated this sum, which is £875,000 more than the previous year’s funding. The money is intended to support initiatives for preventing homelessness and rough sleeping, as well as to finance services such as drug and alcohol dependency treatment. Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who has advocated for greater support, characterized the funding as a “much needed boost”. Recent data shows that the council’s housing options team, which provides emergency assistance to people who lose their homes, supported 3,300 households in 2023/24, an increase of 300 from the year prior. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an estimated 341 people, including 157 children, are experiencing homelessness in Blackpool this year. National data for 2023/24 revealed that Blackpool’s homelessness rate was more than double the nationwide average, standing at 18% per 100,000 households compared to 7% for England. This allocation comes after Mr. Webb called for additional resources earlier this month to address the surge in homelessness within the resort. The Labour MP commented: “This funding will provide direct help to families and individuals, helping prevent homelessness and giving rough sleepers the chance to turn their lives around.” This funding is part of a larger government initiative, totaling almost £1 billion, which will be distributed to councils across England next year to tackle homelessness. A report presented to Blackpool Council’s tourism, economy and communities scrutiny committee indicated that the rise in homelessness can be largely attributed to the impact of the cost of living crisis, which has caused private rents to increase and compelled landlords to sell properties. The report further stated: “This disproportionately affects Blackpool due to the scale of private rented accommodation in the town.”