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Liverpool City Council is preparing to adopt a new strategy aimed at addressing homelessness in the city by allowing households currently living in temporary accommodation the opportunity to remain in those properties on a permanent basis. This change comes after a successful procurement process, with the council’s Cabinet set to approve five contracts for both temporary and permanent housing options during its meeting on Tuesday, 17 March.
As part of this plan, the council will secure access to 1,500 units of affordable and suitable temporary accommodation sourced from the private rental sector. Suppliers involved are also expected to provide a proportion of permanent homes throughout the duration of these contracts. Depending on the specific needs of each household and availability, individuals may be able to transition from their temporary accommodation to permanent residency in the same property. This aims to minimize the disruption often experienced by homeless families who settle temporarily in various accommodations.
This initiative is one of several steps Liverpool City Council has taken to tackle homelessness, which currently affects around 1,600 households staying in interim or temporary housing across the city. Efforts have been made to increase the availability of self-contained accommodation units, reducing the reliance on costly hotel stays. Presently, there are 1,330 self-contained units available, with the average nightly cost lowered to £57 from the previous £83. Consequently, usage of hotel rooms has dropped to 277, with measures in place to ensure families do not stay in such settings for more than six weeks—a marked improvement from last year when 83 households remained in bed-and-breakfast accommodations for extended periods.
The planned delivery of 1,500 units of temporary, interim, and permanent homes over the next 18 months is expected to significantly reduce reliance on expensive spot-purchased nightly accommodations. Councillor Hetty Wood, Cabinet Member for Housing, emphasized the importance of housing stability, stating, “A home is a basic human right and we know how disruptive it is for individuals and families to move from place to place in a relatively short space of time, particularly if they have children in school.” She added that this approach is part of broader efforts including expanding accommodation availability, cutting dependence on hotel stays, negotiating reduced rates with landlords to ensure value for taxpayers, and collaborating with government and social landlords to promote affordable rent and rent-to-buy schemes
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