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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department instructed local authorities as part of funding agreements for the Rough Sleeping Initiative to end the use of hotels and other emergency accommodation for rough sleepers by the end of March 2021.

The Department did not instruct local authorities to end the use of hotels and emergency accommodation by 31 March 2021. We have been working closely with local authorities throughout this pandemic to ensure that all those accommodated have access to the support that they need, including move-on into longer-term, sustainable accommodation. As part of this we are working with local authorities to gradually reduce dependence on the use of hotels, intended as an interim measure, to save life and before people were supported into longer-term, more sustainable options. By the end of January, we had supported over 37,000 people with over 11,000 in emergency accommodation and over 26,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation. To support this, we have provided:

• £203 million investment through the Rough Sleeping Initiative this year (2021-2022) - an 81% increase from the £112 million provided last year - funding up to 14,500 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England. This includes immediate work to support people off the street, moving people on from emergency accommodation as well as longer-term housing-led solutions and more sustainable accommodation such as private rented sector access schemes.
• The £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to provide 6,000 move-on homes, available as long-term assets, and accompanying support services to those who are rough sleeping or who have a history of sleeping rough.

We've been clear with councils and partners that everyone helped into accommodation should be offered the tailored support they need to move forwards.

This Government remains committed to ending rough sleeping this parliament, recent data shows that rough sleeping has fallen 43% under this administration, with a 37% fall in the last year alone.