Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with smaller providers on the definition of short-term supported housing; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that those homes and services are not put at risk as a result of any new arrangements for funding housing costs.

We have been engaging closely with providers, including smaller ones. We know how important short-term supported accommodation is to vulnerable people when they have faced a crisis in their lives – and supply of good quality hostels and refuges is an important part of our response to ending rough sleeping. We are committed to protecting this provision and the vulnerable people who rely on it. We have been listening carefully and believe that our forthcoming proposals will reflect this.