07/10/22: Council to invest £1.6m to provide emergency housing for homeless residents

Breckland Council is to invest £1.6 million in emergency housing for people in the district who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

At the meeting of Full Council on 6 October, Breckland members approved plans to use the money to purchase up to 11 homes in the district, to provide a short-term home for homeless people in Breckland.

The move aims to increase the emergency housing provision available to some of the district's most vulnerable residents, improving the quality of service the council can provide.

Councillors heard that this will also reduce the council's reliance on alternative emergency provision such as Bed and Breakfast and hotel accommodation, which tends to be more expensive and does not always provide ideal facilities.

Having now received approval from councillors to implement the proposals, the council will seek to purchase suitable homes within the district. Once acquired and ready for use the district council's Housing team will then allocate spaces to homeless people in need of temporary housing. The intention is that the team will then work with the residents to secure suitable longer-term housing solutions at other properties.

Cllr Gordon Bambridge, Executive Member for Housing at Breckland Council, commented: "This project represents significant investment in helping some of Breckland's most vulnerable residents. By offering this short-to-medium term housing solution, we will be able to offer some of Breckland's most in-need residents a safe place to stay while we help find them long-term housing options.  It also means we can improve the quality of support on offer while cutting the council's overall costs."

The latest initiative from Breckland Council follows its investment of £1.8m in redeveloping Elm House in Thetford, which opened earlier this year and offers temporary housing to single adults, couples, and families.