An extra £50 million of funding is being made available for councils this winter to help the most vulnerable households to pay off rent arrears or find new accommodation if they are being evicted.

The funding for this winter comes from a larger £2 billion pot of money for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping over the next 3 years. The Government says that "Councils will have the flexibility to target the additional financial support at those that need it most. This may include helping households at risk of eviction pay off their rent arrears or supporting families struggling to secure a new home with their search and deposits".

Cllr. David Renard, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, in the context of depleted housing stock in the social sector and an unaffordable private rented sector, said "As the number of 'no fault' eviction notices handed out increases ...... councils are increasingly concerned of a national homelessness crisis. These pressures ..... still feel like a perfect storm for services trying to prevent homelessness".

He also called for an unfreezing of the local housing allowance rate so that at least a third of the market is affordable for people in receipt housing related benefits.

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