This is how much Scarborough Council is to receive to tackle homelessness in the borough

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today committed £260 million to reduce the number of those sleeping rough and prevent people falling into homelessness across England.

Of these, £9.2 million will be allocated to Yorkshire and the Humber, with £331,653 being given to Scarborough Council in 2020 to 2021.

Councils can use the funding to employ specialists to help vulnerable people meet their rent payments, as well as helping them find long-term, stable accommodation.

Homelessness Minister Luke Hall MP said: “It is not right that there are people in Yorkshire and The Humber who do not have a safe and secure place to live – some having to rely on the goodwill of friends for a roof over their head, or at worst face a night on the streets.

“This funding will give Yorkshire and The Humber’s local authorities the freedom to provide the services which work for local people in their areas and tackle the often complex issues which lead to homelessness need specialist support.

“This government will ensure those at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping are supported and have somewhere safe to live.”

Of the money announced today, the first £200 million comes from the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant, introduced in 2017 to change the way councils were providing support to those at risk of homelessness.

The remaining funding, the £63 million Homelessness Reduction Grant, will go to councils to fulfil their duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force last year to help homeless households into accommodation.

Figures obtained by The Scarborough News earlier this year show that in 2018 there were a total of 83 homeless households in the borough.

Despite the figure had been progressively decreasing since 2016, Scarborough Council was spending more money than ever before on emergency accommodation.

Cllr Bill Chatt (Ind) explained that this was due to the cost of implementing the new legislation and the fact not enough money had been allocated to Scarborough Council to cope with the new system.