The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed plans for up to 200 homes – the first of which will be available this autumn – to help former rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse leave hostels and refuges and move on with their lives.
The Mayor’s ‘move-on’ homes programme will build on City Hall’s wider work to help rough sleepers and to support victims of violence against women and girls. People will typically move from hostels and refuges into the new homes, where they will be supported as they start to live more independently, ahead of moving into permanent private rented or social housing.
The first two contracts totalling up to £25 million have now been awarded to providers One Housing Group and Resonance Real Lettings Property Fund, who will deliver 115 homes and up to 75 homes respectively. The first homes are expected to be ready in early autumn and the remainder started by March 2021. Residents will be provided with support including for mental health issues, financial management, help finding employment, education or training opportunities, and referrals to other agencies.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Once former rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse have received the immediate support they need, the next priority is helping them move on from hostels and refuges into somewhere safe and stable to live. These homes will offer a vital steppingstone as they are supported to live more independently and move on with their lives. It is now crucial the Government urgently funds longer-term accommodation for former rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse.”
Martin D’Mello, Group Director of Health, Care and Support at One Housing said: “We are delighted that One Housing has been awarded one of the first ‘move-on’ homes programme contracts to deliver 115 homes. One Housing has a long history of helping and supporting people get back on their feet. We provide homes, support and care which gives them the skills they need to move towards sustainable independence. We look forward to working with the Mayor to deliver this much needed housing and these vital services in London.”
Karen Shackleton, Chair of Resonance said: “The Resonance Property Funds have already housed nearly 2,000 individuals to date, of which 50 per cent have been children, and this significant investment will enable us to support at least another 100 individuals to live independently and allow them to move on with their lives”.
The Mayor is using all the resources and powers at his disposal to tackle rough sleeping. In 2019/20 the City Hall rough sleeping budget is at least £18 million, up from £8.5 million in the year Sadiq came to office. He has also doubled his outreach team and recently launched a new ‘rapid response’ team dedicated to finding rough sleepers and getting them off the streets faster. In the last year, 3,875 people were helped by frontline Mayoral ‘Life off the Streets’ services – up from 3,123 the year before.
Sadiq is also investing heavily in tackling violence against women and girls, including providing £10 million each year to a series of programmes that deliver ongoing support for victims and survivors and fund rehabilitation projects for perpetrators of domestic violence, in addition to the £15 million he is providing from business rates.