Our response to the government’s latest housing announcement
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Yesterday, we were really pleased to hear the government announce how funding for the Social and Affordable Homes programme will be used – including more funding for social rent homes, led by local councils.
The funding will include budget for 70,000 affordable homes in England in the next decade, 60 per cent of which will be social homes.
After calling for an increase in affordable housing for many years, we’re really thrilled that urgent action is being taken. We urge the government to continue working closely with local authorities and partner organisations such as ours to make sure any barriers to successful delivery are removed.
Ensuring that the increased supply of social-rented housing will also include housing which is accessible, is key. Many people who come to our services find that there simply aren’t enough suitable homes to meet their needs. This makes moving on from temporary supported accommodation like our Caritas House service, which is an accessible home for local men, more difficult.
There are thousands of people in Greater Manchester and Lancashire where we work who are homeless or at risk of becoming so, alongside thousands more families and individuals who don’t have a safe, secure, permanent place to call home.
Everyone deserves the dignity of their own front door and somewhere they know they will be safe to live their life as fully as possible.
We are looking forward to working with the government and local and regional partners to continue moving towards a future where no-one is homeless.
These positive steps are not just welcomed, but vital, and we want to thank everyone who has helped our charity and other organisations working with people experiencing homelessness to call for these much-needed changes.
We look forward to the Autumn budget this October, and hope that support for people experiencing homelessness and poverty will continue with urgency.
