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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department will take to prevent rough sleeping amongst LGBTQ+ youth after the ban on tenant evictions is lifted on 23 August 2020.

Working across the public sector in order to continue tackling homelessness and rough sleeping throughout the crisis, this Government has provided funding to?assist local authorities to?provide accommodation and support to?vulnerable?people who are at risk of, or who have been diagnosed with, coronavirus.

At the beginning of the pandemic, our priority was to bring vulnerable people inside so they could self-isolate and stop the virus spreading. We backed this with £3.2 million in emergency funding for local authorities to support vulnerable rough sleepers, and a further £3.7 billion to help councils to manage the impacts of COVID-19, including supporting homeless people. This?may include?people identifying as LGBTQ+,?as well as?those who identify as having?other?protected characteristics.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, charities across the country, including LGBTQ+ charities, were able to bid for funding through the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Fund, which provided £6 million of emergency funding as part of a £750 million package of government support for UK charities who may have been impacted by the pandemic. Following a successful bidding process, over?130 charities?across England?benefitted?from?the £6 million?emergency?fund.

We have also put in place bespoke support for local authorities through our Homelessness Advice and Support Team, which includes dedicated youth homelessness advisor roles that have a commitment to work with local authorities to proactively promote positive joint working across housing authorities and children’s services, offering training, advice and support to all local authorities.

The Government has taken unprecedented action to support renters during the pandemic to ensure no one can be forced from their home.?On?5 June we announced that the suspension of?evictions from social or private rented accommodation had been extended by a further two months. This means that no action to evict a tenant will proceed before 24 August 2020. The emergency measures in the Coronavirus Act, which require landlords to give at least three months' notice to evict tenants, are unaffected by this and remain in place until 30 September 2020.? We will also continue work with the judiciary, legal representatives and the advice sector on arrangements, including new rules, to ensure that when the moratorium on?evictions ends, the courts are better able to address the need for appropriate protection of all parties, including those shielding from coronavirus.