South West councils will receive an additional £19.5 million of government funding to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless in 2021/22.
Central Devon covers parts of four district councils and their allocations are:
Teignbridge: £438,000.
Mid Devon: £197,431.
West Devon: £174,628.
East Devon: £261,375.
Across the country, £310million will be targeted at areas with high numbers of homeless people, those at risk of homelessness or those living in temporary accommodation, helping them to rebuild their lives. The funding represents a £47million increase on this year and can be used by councils to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions or to provide temporary accommodation to ensure families have a roof over their head.
Welcoming the funding Central Devon MP Mel Stride said:
“The national effort to tackle homelessness has been one of the silver linings of the pandemic, with the Government’s ‘Everyone In Campaign’ supporting 29,000 vulnerable people over the last year, with two-thirds now moved into settled accommodation. It is vital the Government doesn’t let this progress slip and continues to make the issue a priority so these allocations are very welcome.”
Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Teignbridge District Councillor Sarah Parker-Khan added:
“This is a very welcome funding boost from the Government to help some of the most vulnerable members in our society. Because there are very few rough sleepers in Teignbridge many don’t see homelessness as a problem, but other forms of homelessness aren’t as visible. These include living in hostels, shelters and refuges, temporarily relying on the sofas of family or friends, or living in unfit or extremely overcrowded housing. Every person or family in this situation needs to be helped.”
