More than half of district councils have seen an increase in the number of people asking for help since the introduction of new homelessness legislation six months ago.
Research by the District Councils Network (DCN) found that only one in five districts have received extra funding to deal with the new statutory duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA). However, over two-thirds (69%) have reported an increase in the visible signs of homelessness in their areas.
The DCN is calling for extra funding on top of the initial HRA implementation funding, greater financial flexibilities for non-stock-holding authorities and an early review of the HRA administration process to be streamlined.
DCN chairman, Cllr John Fuller, said: 'We welcome the Homelessness Reduction Act, but since April 2018, over half of district councils have seen an increase in requests for homeless advice and assistance, with an increase of more than 100% in some areas during this six-month period.
'The ongoing costs for new HRA duties far outweigh the initial funding – which isn’t enough on its own to address the lack of housing supply or the affordability issues affecting people in need - and can’t be sustained in the long-term. Providing additional, sustainable funding beyond 2019/20 through the funding formula will allow districts to continue to support homeless people or those at risk of becoming homeless over a longer time period.
'The thresholds set for various support services are now so high that they are predominantly crisis-focused and are less responsive to addressing the low level issues that lead to homelessness, which coupled with funding cuts to council budgets, impedes the work to prevent it and can lead to people becoming trapped in a cycle of homelessness.'
