Homelessness

Housing, Communities and Local Government – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 23 July 2018.

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Photo of Chris Matheson Chris Matheson Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) 12:00, 23 July 2018

What assessment he has made of trends in homelessness since 2010.

Photo of Nigel Adams Nigel Adams The Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government are serious about tackling homelessness, which is why we have allocated more than £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness to 2020. We have implemented the most ambitious legislative reform in decades: the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. We have also committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and to ending it by 2027, and we will shortly be publishing a strategy that sets out our plans to do that.

Photo of Chris Matheson Chris Matheson Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)

Homelessness has doubled nationally since 2010, but the increase is greater in the north-west. Why is that?

Photo of Nigel Adams Nigel Adams The Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I know how seriously the hon. Gentleman takes this issue, and I am very encouraged by the work he is doing collaboratively with his local authority and organisations such as Chester Aid to the Homeless and Share. They will welcome, as I am sure he does, the £1.15 million that has been recently provided to help on this issue. Like me, he will be encouraged by the latest figures, which show a 9% fall nationally in statutory homelessness acceptances in the past year.