Council to buy two properties to help homeless

ROSSENDALE council has agreed to buy two residential properties to provide local supported accommodation for homeless families currently facing being sent to bed and breakfast accommodation outside the borough.

The decision - taken at the recent full council meeting - will utilise section 106 planning application receipts, and therefore will not incur any capital expenditure.

The Valley currently has just one two-bedroom property to accommodate homeless families.

The report of the strategic housing manager found: “These families are often placed in bed and breakfast accommodation outside of the borough often at a distance from employment, schools and their network of support, exacerbating the distress of the situation and lengthening the potential circumstances of homelessness.

“In 2021/22, 10 families were placed in bed and breakfast accommodation, compared to eight in 2020/21. The average time spent in B&B has increased from 9 days to 77 days.”

The council has a homelessness duty to ensure suitable accommodation is available for specified priority needs groups, including households/ families with dependent children.

It is proposed that the council use up to £150,000 to purchase each property out of its £379,580 of commuted sums secured for the provision of affordable housing in Rossendale.

The Housing Options Team will be able to retain the rent and intensive housing rent, generating a potential income of circa £23,000.

The report adds: “The current costs of placing families in B&B accommodation are unpredictable and can reach in excess of £80,000 a year.

“This figure could increase with increasing economic pressures on families and there is a cap in which the council can claim those costs back.”