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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2018 to Question 199419 on Sleeping Rough, how much funding his Department will provide to Streetlink in winter 2018.

As previously noted, MHCLG have provided annual funding of £300,000 to StreetLink since it was launched in 2012. This annual funding arrangement is the most effective method to support the running and development of the service, including preparing for and responding to the peak in demand during the winter period. We, therefore, do not provide additional funding during the winter period. Last winter, StreetLink made significant improvements to the website and app and these continue to be reviewed to improve capability. StreetLink is also supported through the recruitment of dedicated and hardworking volunteers. MHCLG works closely with Homeless Link and St Mungo’s, the organisations responsible for StreetLink, to ensure the service continues to run effectively.

StreetLink provides early intelligence to local homelessness services helping to get people off the streets as quickly as possible. However, we know this is only the first step and this response relies on other vital services. On 31 October, we launched the Cold Weather Fund of up to £5 million, for all local authorities to provide a robust, local response to support rough sleepers off the streets prior to the impending winter period. This is available now until March 2019.

The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why this summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.