b'6 Local Government Lawyersupport first time buyers in its care leaverthrough Phoenix Life will help the councilAutumn Budget to unfreeze local housing population.secure and improve these housing assets forallowance to help families out of temporary Meanwhile, 25% admitted to distributingthe long-term benefit of our residents. accommodation, and to prevent more families homeless families to other parts of theHowever, criticisms of the approach werebecoming homeless. Over 169,000 children country with less housing pressure, and 21%made by CEO of the Affordable Housingface a long summer stuck in damaging and to changing allocation criteria to implementNetwork, Hayden Belcher, who observedinsecure temporary accommodation, she higher thresholds before accepting a dutythat councils are borrowing to buy backnotes. towards them. This is the devastating result of a severe One respondent exclaimed: Too manyA severe shortageshortage of social rent homes and inadequate councils, including my own, do not careof social homeslevels of housing benefit that continue to trap about social housing and are happy to getfamilies in homelessness.rid of homeless families to out of Londonand inadequateHowever, with the ever-worsening financial Boroughs! situation councilsand the government Earlier this year, Westminster City Councillevels of housing- find themselves in, building enough acquired a portfolio of 368 homes forbenefit continueaffordable housing is unlikely to be realistic temporary accommodation with a loan fromfor many. Even where some budge does exist, Phoenix Life, a UK pensions firm. to trap families incoordination and planning can sometimes be Advised by lawyers, the London Boroughlacking.acquired the A2Dominon portfolio through ahomelessness. One Housing Practitioner observed: unique funding structure which used a CreditBuilding more affordable housing would Tenant Lease - a method of funding thathomes they arguably should never have lostreduce the number of households needing enables the council to pay for the propertiesin the first place, and that in this scenario,interim or temporary accommodation as over a term of 42 years, and a guarantee fromthe public sector are being locked intoproperties could become available during the the council in favour of Phoenix Life. long-term repayments instead of fixing thecourse of their application, particularly if we Commenting on the solution in April,root cause of the problemthe chroniccan stage early interventions. However, there Executive Director of Finance and Resourcesunderfunding of social housing. seems to be no joined up thinking when it at the council, Gerald Almeroth, said: LikeWhen asked to compare different solutionscomes to planning and developing new builds many councils in London, Westminsterto addressing the need for temporary housingso the needs of our households waiting on our is experiencing significant increases in the most popular answer from surveyhousing register arent met.homelessness demand and costs, [and] thisrespondents was, unsurprisingly, buildingThe respondent cited the example of 2-bed acquisition helps to protect much neededmore affordable housing. flats with no lifts being built for families with quality temporary accommodation supplyHousing charity Shelter agrees. Mairichildren, and one-bed ground floor properties within the city. MacRae, its Director of Campaigns and Policy,without wet rooms or walk-in showersThis innovative financing structuresays that the government should use thelimiting the amount of disability friendly accommodation.Other potential solutions for addressing What steps is your authority taking to try tothe need for temporary housing ranked highly reduce the amount of households in temporaryby respondents were compulsory purchase accommodation? of empty properties, the use of modular (prefabricated) temporary housing, purchasing 79% 79% or leasing of properties on the open market or from social housing providers within the borough, and refurbishment of existing empty housing stock. However, less than 2% of survey respondents outlined the compulsory purchase of empty properties as a mechanism they are currently usingsuggesting barriers to implementation here too. 25% 21%12% Leading by example Although the picture looks bleak for many authorities, there have been some stories of success.More early Placing households Distributing Changing allocation Other (please Mansfield District Councils private rented intervention to in private sector homeless families criteria to specify in access scheme, for example, facilitates the sustain permanent rented to other parts of implement higher comments box) housing of people facing homelessness or tenancies and accommodation to the country with thresholds before housed in hotels and B&Bs into private rented prevent discharge duties; less housing accepting a duty homes by paying the rental deposits and homelessness; pressure; towards them;advanced rent payments to private landlords,'