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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to support people with alcohol and other drug problems who have been newly housed in temporary accommodation under the emergency housing measures in response to covid-19; and what plans his Department has to manage this group when the lockdown is eased and lifted.

Over 90 per cent of those on the streets?at the beginning of the crisis?known to local authorities have now been made offers of safe accommodation. We know that this includes people with substance misuse and mental health needs.

Local authorities?are responsible for assessing local need and commissioning alcohol and drug services and this includes providing services for people who have been supported into emergency accommodation sites.?Most local authorities are using their existing locally commissioned drug and alcohol treatment services to provide this support, including harm reduction, prescribing services and managing related health issues like alcohol withdrawal. They are also drawing on wider NHS services to provide mental and physical health support.

The Government recognises the significant steps local authorities have taken to deliver this work. On top of the initial £3.2 million to support rough sleepers, the Government has now announced £3.2 billion in funding for local authorities to help them meet the pressures caused by COVID-19 and to support vulnerable people, which can be used to provide drug and alcohol services.

In addition, and backed by funding from MHCLG through the 2020/21 Rough Sleeping programme, a pan-London substance misuse team has been commissioned by the City of London on behalf of the Greater London Authority to provide additional drug and alcohol treatment support in the hotels. This supplements local authority-level responses from alcohol and drug treatment.? We are also working closely with local authorities, accommodation and support providers to ensure that they have guidance on how best to support people.

Public Health England (PHE)?has published?guidance to assist commissioners, managers and staff in addressing coronavirus and associated disease (COVID-19), in drug and alcohol services, which can be found here:?https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-commissioners-and-providers-of-services-for-people-who-use-drugs-or-alcohol