The Homelessness Directorate - led by Rough Sleepers' Unit head Louise Casey (pictured) - will work across government with a new Ministerial Committee led by housing minister Lord Falconer. It will lead the government's implementation of the Homelessness Act by helping councils develop the homelessness strategies required by the act.
It is understood that the DTLR wants the new directorate to emphasise prevention of homelessness as well as addressing rough sleeping.
This could involve measures to support homeless people once they have been housed to ensure they do not return to the streets. Casey said: "Homelessness is not just about people sleeping rough and our responses must be more than just bricks and mortar."
The directorate has been allocated £125m. The Department for Work and Pensions has allocated a further £10m to councils to provide self-contained temporary accommodation instead of using B&Bs.
DWP secretary Alistair Darling explained that subsidy rates would be changed to encourage councils to use alternatives to bed and breakfast. "And from April 2003, after councils have had time to respond to these new arrangements, we will consider increasing incentives even further," he added.
The move involves changes to the housing benefit subsidy that the DWP pays back to councils. At present government reimbursement rates for housing benefit are the same for all types of temporary accommodation.
From next month, this 12.5 per cent reimbursement rate will be raised to 95 per cent for leased and licensed accommodation, but remain unchanged for B&Bs. The government also intends to review current rules in order to encourage RSLs to provide privately leased temporary accommodation, the DWP said.
Source
Housing Today
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