Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current provision of shelter for homeless people in London.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

This Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society. One person without a home is one too many. That is why since 2010 we’ve invested more than £500 million to prevent and tackle homelessness in England. It is for London boroughs to determine what homelessness services are required to best meet the needs of their local area, including provision of suitable accommodation. We have given the Mayor of London £34 million to deliver pan-London rough sleeping services, with an extra £8.5 million for this work in 2015/16. Our measures include supporting the roll-out of No Second Night Out across England through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund, and commissioning the pioneering StreetLink service. In London, two-thirds of rough sleepers in London come off the streets after a single night.