News / Bristol
30 homes to be made available for Bristol’s homeless families
The provision of up to 30 more houses could be a much-needed lifeline for some of Bristol’s most vulnerable homeless families.
A proposal to invest £5m and extend the National Homelessness Property Fund (NHPF) scheme, that works to provide affordable rented accommodation, was approved by the council’s cabinet at City Hall on Tuesday.
Bristol faces a growing homelessness crisis, with around 1,000 families seeking housing between April 1 2017 and June 30 2017 alone. Of these, 78 per cent needed help and assessment by the homelessness prevention team.
is needed now More than ever
The number of households being placed in temporary accommodation has also continued to rise, peaking at 585 in June, and the cabinet member for housing Paul Smith says an extension of the scheme will provide not only a more secure, but also more cost effective solution.
Paul Smith says the scheme will work out as a more cost effective solution
Delivering the recommendation on behalf of Smith on Tuesday, deputy mayor Craig Cheney said: “It is a challenge to meet their needs due to the lack of affordable housing in the social sector, and particularly in the private rented sector.
“This means there are high numbers of households in temporary accommodation, often for prolonged periods, at significant cost to the council.”
The properties made available under the scheme will go to those judged to be most in need – predominantly single parent families on low income.
Cheney added that ongoing efforts to tackle the homelessness crisis is starting to take effect and in August 2017, the numbers booked into temporary places each week started to slow down as a result of intensive prevention and early intervention work being done.
The NHPF Real Lettings Scheme was first agreed by cabinet in November 2015 and currently provides 72 homes, with a maximum total of 102 expected to be available thanks to the additional £5m investment.
The Homelessness Support Grant – specifically ring fenced for the cause – will help pay for the scheme, with plans to borrow additional funds. The council will keep any profits from selling on properties when the project comes to an end in 2025.
St Mungo’s Real Lettings, a management arm of the homeless charity, will manage the properties and the council will be able to place families directly, or move them on quickly from temporary accommodation.
Read more: Tackling Bristol’s homelessness crisis
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
