Funding Secured to Tackle Homelessness in North Yorkshire and Leeds

Keir Mather, Member of Parliament for Selby and Kippax, has secured a huge investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the county. Leeds City Council will receive a £1,237,445 top-up and North Yorkshire Council has been allocated £446,899 for the Rough Sleeping Prevention & Recovery Grant.

This funding is part of a larger £84 million nationwide cash boost to support families this winter and builds on the Government's record £1 billion investment this year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

Children and families in temporary accommodation in places like Selby will be prioritised, with the funding to go towards helping families to cover the essentials like food, school travel and laundry. It comes as concerning numbers of households find themselves in temporary accommodation across the country, including nearly 170,000 children. In fourteen years under the previous Conservative Government, levels of rough sleeping more than doubled.

Welcoming the funding, Mr Mather said that it was the largest ever nationwide investment in prevention services, helping councils intervene early and stop homelessness before it happens. It will provide tailored services for those experiencing long-term rough sleeping – including mental health support, drug and alcohol treatment and sustainable accommodation – ensuring people get the help they need to rebuild their lives.

Keir Mather MP for Selby and Kippax said: “You can’t have a decent life without a decent home and we saw rough sleeping increasing under the last Government - not just in large cities but in towns like ours too. I know from speaking to people across our area that tackling this is a priority for them. "I’ve been pushing nationally for funding like this to be prioritised, and I’ve been also holding North Yorkshire Council to account about the shocking number of council houses in the Selby area which are sitting empty. Like so many others locally, I'm dumbfounded by the number of houses which continue to sit empty when so many are on the waiting list. "This is a Government which is taking action and providing the resources needed to address this crisis in our area and around the country.”

Labour’s Housing Secretary, Steve Reed MP, said: “Homelessness is a moral stain on our society. Growing numbers of people have been abandoned to sleep rough on the streets and children left in squalid, overcrowded conditions. “This government will not stand idly by and allow that to continue. We will make different choices. That’s why we are investing £1 billion to give homeless people the security of a roof over their heads and get back on track to end homelessness for good.”