Homelessness remains a major blight on Milton Keynes and tackling it remains a top priority for Labour led Milton Keynes Council, who are making progress on the issue.

Over the last 12 months significant progress has been made in tackling homelessness, especially reducing the numbers in Bed & Breakfast and in Temporary Accommodation outside of Milton Keynes. The prevention of homelessness has been a further success as has the speed of rehousing people from Temporary Accommodation.  Good progress has further been made on helping rough sleepers.

Figures for the end of march this year, compared to the situation a year ago, show the difference the Council’s actions are making, but there is still more to do.

At 31 March 2017, the situation included:

• Total number in Temporary Accommodation = 732
• 64 households in hotels
• 78% of all those in Temporary Accommodation were outside MK
• 2 episodes of Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) being implemented
• No MKC Winter Night Shelter
• 26 households had an offer of accommodation

By 31 March 2018, after a year of focused activity from the Council, the situation had improved to:

• Total number in Temporary Accommodation = 635
• 5 households in hotels
• 96% of all those in Temporary Accommodation are in MK
• 7 episodes of SWEP
• 46 additional households assisted through MKC Winter Night Shelter
• 72 households have an offer of accommodation

Cllr Nigel Long Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Housing said, “Over the last 12 months we have started to make real progress. The key features are:

1. Number of homeless families is down due to early prevention and intervention work.
2. Number in B&B has dropped to under 1% of homeless families.
3. Last year 78% of all Temporary Accomodation was outside of Milton Keynes. This is now 4%.
4. 46 additional places were added to the Winter Night Shelter this year. None last year.
5. Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) which provides emergency temporary accommodation was used for rough sleepers 7 times this year. Only 2 times last year.
6. 72 homeless households have been offered permanent accommodation compared to 26 last year.”

He concluded, “Labour have committed over £5 million (see table 1) to tackling homelessness this year and next year. We are determined that families in temporary accommodation and vulnerable  rough sleepers will be supported to find long term stable housing. We are making reasonable progress on homelessness, but until we are free to build we are still only putting plasters on the open wound of homelessness. ”

Table 1: Funding for tackling Homelessness 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Labour has allocated substantial funding to tackling homelessness: