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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all refuge centres for the homeless have sufficient funds to continue their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the COVID-19 emergency, according to returns from local authorities to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.

£3.2 billion has been provided to support councils to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which councils can use to provide support for vulnerable rough sleepers. This is in addition to £3.2 million in targeted funding for councils to support vulnerable rough sleepers.

Local authorities are able to use this funding flexibly to ensure that those being offered accommodation to self-isolate are given the support they require. This funding is alongside significant investment including £112m across England in 2020/21 for the Rough Sleeping Initiative to help around 270 areas tackle rough sleeping across 2020/21.

MHCLG also recently announced the?Coronavirus (COVID-19) Homelessness Response Fund, granting £6 million to charities, including those who run hostel accommodation. This is to be spent on organisational sustainability in order to ensure the ongoing activities that help keep people who are homeless safe and supported during the pandemic.