Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
It is uncertain whether the Department will meet its objective of providing 3,300 homes for...
Conclusion
It is uncertain whether the Department will meet its objective of providing 3,300 homes for people sleeping rough by the end of March 2021. Under its Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme, the Department has distributed £161 million funding against bids from local authorities for the provision of 3,300 homes for housing people sleeping rough. Contrary to what it previously told us, the Department expects the majority of these homes to involve the leasing or purchasing of existing buildings (though sometimes involving significant renovation), rather than new additions to the housing stock. It expects people to stay in them on average for two years. The Department has not published or provided us with details on how these homes will contribute to its target of ending rough sleeping, or what further accommodation will be available for people to move into once their stay in these homes comes to an end. At the time we took evidence, in late January 2021, the Department was unable to provide any figures on the number of homes that had already been provided and occupied, nor how many it was on track to provide by the end of the financial year. Recommendation: The Department should write to us within two months on the progress it is making in securing 3,300 homes under its Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme, and include details on how it will ensure the availability of the supported and affordable housing required for people to move into, once their stay in these homes comes to an end. 8 COVID-19: housing people sleeping rough 1 Rough sleeping strategy Introduction
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: May 2021 6.2 The Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme represents the biggest ever government investment in move-on accommodation for rough sleepers. The department welcomes the opportunity to report progress on the delivery of 3,300 homes under the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and will provide further details on the routes out of the provision into other forms of housing. The department will write directly to the Committee within the specified time frame in the recommendation.