Shapps: 'homelessness safety net to continue to end of current Parliament'

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities

Grant Shapps has announced that funding to help people facing homelessness will continue to the end of the current Parliament in 2015.

The Housing Minister said that councils across the country will receive a share of the £160m set aside for Homelessness Prevention Grants.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has claimed that latest figures show 199,000 households were given help to stay in the their homes or find new places to live last year.

Shapps also confirmed that a new website and telephone line that offer help for people living on the streets will be available by Christmas. The StreetLink service will be run by charities Homeless Link and Broadway and will accessible via smart phones.

Shapps said: "All too often, we see people sleeping rough on our streets and don't know what to do for the best, where to turn to get them help and whether offering a handout really does offer them help out of homelessness.

"That's why I'm delighted that this December, StreetLink will offer a solution, with members of the public able to ring a national helpline or use a website accessible by smart phone to help ensure someone sleeping rough can be found and connected to local services.

"And to ensure that we shore up the strongest safety net in the world, I can today confirm £160m funding right up to the end of this Parliament, giving councils the means to continue their strong work in preventing homelessness in the first place."