James Wild MP has challenged the government on how its National Plan to End Homelessness will support frontline charities and local authorities in tackling rough sleeping across North West Norfolk and enable them to plan more effectively over the long term while focusing on early intervention, prevention, and local accommodation.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he paid tribute to the Purfleet Trust, which provides accommodation alongside mental health and substance misuse support to over 1,000 people each year, King’s Lynn Night Shelter, which offers emergency night shelter for rough sleepers across West Norfolk, and the borough council.
James has worked closely with homelessness and rough-sleeping charities as well as the borough council which produced its Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for West Norfolk last year. A particular issue is the challenges year-to-year funding has in making it difficult for organisations to plan, retain staff, and develop services with short-term arrangements limiting their ability to invest.
The government’s plan sets out a three-year funding settlement aimed at reducing long-term rough sleeping, ending the unlawful use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children, and preventing more households from becoming homeless.
While James welcomed the ambition, he pressed the government on how this approach will translate into predictable support for those delivering services on the ground.
Speaking in the House of Commons, James Wild MP said:
“I welcome the ambition to end homelessness and pay tribute to the Purfleet Trust, King’s Lynn Night Shelter, the borough council and other groups that are working hard and collaborating to end rough sleeping and homelessness. How will this strategy and the resources help to support their efforts and focus on intervention and prevention and providing more local accommodation?”
The Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern MP, said:
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and through him I would like to give my own thanks to the organisations in his constituency that he just mentioned, which I am sure are doing vital and important work. One of the biggest challenges for local authorities in recent years has been living hand-to-mouth, with year-to-year funding, which they then pass on to the organisations that they fund.
“Having three-year settlements, which ensure a level of predictability, will not only help organisations to plan better, whether they are a council or a voluntary sector organisation, but will mean that they can engage more in preventive work, because they will have enough time to see the benefits.”
