Sussex and Kent Councils Allocated £700,000 to Combat Winter Homelessness

Councils situated in Sussex and Kent have been allocated a total of £700,000 to address homelessness and rough sleeping this winter. This funding originates from a £10 million government initiative designated for 155 local authorities experiencing the most significant challenges related to rough sleeping. The individual allocations provided to these councils vary, with amounts ranging from £139,115 down to £26,000. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner presided over the inaugural meeting of a newly established cross-government ministerial group on Wednesday. This group’s objective is to collaborate with councils in addressing the underlying factors contributing to the increase in homelessness. Government ministers indicated that these funds are intended to support vulnerable populations, including veterans, care leavers, and victims of domestic abuse, through the provision of new emergency housing and enhanced assistance aimed at preventing individuals from returning to street homelessness. Rayner said: “Bringing together ministers across government is a crucial step to tackle this crisis at its root and ensure everyone has access to the basic right of safe and secure housing.” Brighton & Hove City Council is set to receive £139,115, while Hastings Borough Council has been allocated £97,358, and Eastbourne Borough Council will obtain £85,473. Within Kent, Canterbury City Council has been assigned £68,431, and Medway Council is scheduled to receive £61,408. Grants ranging from £26,000 to £44,000 were also awarded to Crawley Borough Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Arun District Council, Thanet District Council, Worthing Borough Council, and Rother District Council. This financial provision coincides with a record number of children residing in temporary accommodation, with Hastings recording the highest number of children in such housing outside of London. Furthermore, some council leaders contend that the allocated funding fails to resolve the critical issue of temporary accommodation expenditure, which poses a risk to local services. Glenn Haffenden, the deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council, commented: “This additional funding is helpful, and will help us address rough sleeping over the winter. “However, there is a predicted overspend of £800,000 for housing this financial year which is mostly due to temporary accommodation.“The extra funding will not necessarily help us reduce our temporary accommodation spend.” In February, both Eastbourne Borough Council and Crawley Borough Council formally declared housing emergencies. Stephen Holt, leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, has also advocated for additional financial support to cover the costs of temporary accommodation, which currently amount to £4.5 million annually for the council, representing 49 pence of every £1 of council tax collected. He stated: “Whilst I welcome any new support for homelessness prevention, I am deeply concerned for frontline services without any specific funding announced to support local councils with the unprecedented costs of providing residents with temporary accommodation.“