The government grant funding has been earmarked for use during 2019 to 2020 and sits in line with City of Wolverhampton Council’s Homelessness Prevention Strategy 2018 to 2022.
It is part of a report, which is also recommending the use of an additional 10 council homes for temporary accommodation for households in need, to be considered at Wednesday’s (5 June) Cabinet meeting.
Part of the funding has also been identified for a review of homeless services delivered by Wolverhampton Homes on behalf of the council.
Councillor Peter Bilson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, said: “The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 has brought about an increased demand for support and assistance for those who have become homeless or are in danger of being made homeless.
“This additional funding will help us provide a model that will be more flexible and responsive to people facing the prospect of being made homeless.
“The 10 extra council properties will be spread across the city and will offer greater stability to vulnerable homeless families.
"This provision is also backed up by our ‘Rent with Confidence’ framework and approach which gives people information about the standard of and management of the private accommodation they move into, and also helps the council to identify suitable properties where people can feel secure about their future.”
The Homelessness Reduction Act placed a requirement on local authorities to assist those threatened with homelessness within 56 days compared to 28 days before the Act.
The City of Wolverhampton has seen an increase of 22% in the number of households in temporary accommodation from 89 in 2017 to 109 in the same period in 2018.
