£10 million in emergency funding to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

While this funding is welcomed and is well intended to help address the issue, its impact in Kent and Medway may be limited compared to the scale of the problem.

The allocated funds aim to support vulnerable populations, including veterans, individuals leaving care, and survivors of domestic abuse, by providing new emergency housing options and additional support.

This targeted approach could help prevent some individuals from returning to homelessness however, the scale of homelessness in the region is significant with issues of affordability, low levels of social housing, and limited general housing supply.

The South East region faces additional housing demand and a rapidly expanding population, impacting not only homelessness but also various social and community support services.

The £700,000 allocated to Sussex and Kent councils, while helpful, will not be sufficient to address the full extent of the problem with the funds spread across multiple councils, with individual allocations ranging from £26,000 to £139,115 and a short-term focus primarily aimed at immediate winter protection, rather than long-term solutions

The allocation is part of the government initiative aimed at 155 local authorities facing significant challenges with street homelessness (“rough sleeping”).

Ad an example of how the local distribution in Kent breaks down at a local district level, Canterbury City Council will receive £68,431 and Medway Council will receive £61,408.

To put that in perspective, the Autumn 2023 estimate for the number of people street homeless in Canterbury was 33 people and the average rental for a one-bedroom flat in Canterbury stands at around £713 per calendar month. Even if we assumed that the number of people street homeless had not increased, the Canterbury allocation is equivalent to less than two months rent plus deposit in the private rented market.

It’s clear that more comprehensive, long-term strategies and increased investment in affordable housing will be necessary to significantly impact homelessness in Kent and Medway.

• The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in Autumn 2023 in England was 3,898. This is up by 829 or 27.0% from the previous year.
• In Kent, the estimated number of rough sleepers was 126. This is up by 46 or 57.5% from the autumn 2022 figure of 80.
• The rate of rough sleeping per 10,000 households stands at 1.8 in Kent compared to 1.7 in the South East and 1.6 in England.
• Figures across the county range from 1 in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge & Malling to 33 in Canterbury.
• In Kent it is estimated that of those sleeping rough, 80.2% were males, 74.6% were UK nationals and 82.5% were 26 or over.

• Between April 2023 and March 2024, over the 12 month period, Porchlight supported 944 people with housing needs related to homelessness along with supporting 4,800 with their mental health and wellbeing.
• Of the 944 people supported with housing and homelessness needs, 92% of the people at risk of homelessness were able to maintain/obtain a safe home and 285 people were street homeless.