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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) support and (b) accommodation the Government is making available to people who are homeless or who become homeless during the covid-19 outbreak and who (i) do not have recourse to public funds, (ii) are not considered to have a priority need and (iii) are otherwise not ordinarily eligible for emergency accommodation under the Housing Act 1996.

The Government is aware of concerns about those with no recourse to public funds experiencing homelessness during the Covid-19 crisis.

We are ensuring local authorities are supported, with £3.2 million in targeted funding to help support individuals who are sleeping rough off the streets, and an additional £3.2 billion provided to local authorities as part of the wider government response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This funding has been provided to help local authorities to reduce risks to public health and to support individuals?on the basis of?need.

The legal position on those with no recourse to public funds has not been amended.

The Government recognises that these are unprecedented?times and?expects local authorities to support people who are sleeping rough, and also to minimise unnecessary risks to public health, acting within the law.