UK Treasury announces extra £85 million funding for homeless people's accommodation

The United Kingdom Treasury has announced an extra £85 million to provide emergency accommodation to around 5,400 homeless people, who have been kept in various hotels across the country since the coronavirus lockdown began in March. The extra funding will allow charities and councils to provide temporary accommodations to thousands of rough sleepers once the hotels reopen for the public again. The rough sleepers will reportedly be placed in student accommodations and other places until permanent housing is found. 

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'Extremely relieved' 

Dame Louise Casey, the chair of the COVID-19 rough sleeping taskforce, while speaking to the media said that she is extremely relieved by the extra funding but also added that it should have come much earlier. Casey said that the funding will make sure that these people don't go back to the streets and it will help local authorities to do that. Casey further added that it will be inhuman for the authorities to send these people back to streets because they have now tasted a life off the streets and a life where your health is looked after. 

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Robert Jenrick, the United Kingdom housing secretary said that the extra funding will support these homeless people to get temporary accommodations for now while the department will work towards delivering long-term homes in the coming months. Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis also supported the decision to provide extra funding but added that money alone will not solve the problem. According to Jon, the country needs emergency legal measures that will ensure every council can provide accommodations to homeless people, regardless of their immigration status. 

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