Over £2 million funding boost to tackle homelessness in Central Bedfordshire

The council will get £2.3 million to prevent homelessness and tackle rough sleeping in 2025/26, the Government announced last week (December 18).

Research by housing charity Shelter estimates 746 people will be homeless this Christmas across Central Bedfordshire, including 309 children.

It means one in 394 people in the area are homeless.

In Central Bedfordshire, 665 people were in temporary accommodation arranged by the council and 68 arranged temporary accommodation themselves as of July. Meanwhile, the most recent data from autumn last year shows 13 people were sleeping rough.

Cllr Steven Watkins, Executive Member for Assets, Business and Housing, said: “We’re pleased to have been allocated funding which enables us to continue to provide outreach services which tackle rough sleeping and services aimed at early intervention to prevent homelessness at every opportunity across Central Bedfordshire.

"This funding is part of an established programme that we have been fortunate to benefit from annually and aligns closely to the work we are already doing to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness, which includes ensuring there are enough Council houses to meet demand, creating affordable homes and working closely with Housing Associations.”

Leader of CBC’s Labour Group, Cllr Matthew Brennan, also welcomed the news, and said: "The level of homelessness in Central Bedfordshire - and across our country - is appalling, and it’s high time we had a government determined to get us back on track to end it once and for all.

“This funding boost will help councils support families at risk of homelessness and give us extra resources to prevent homelessness in the first place.

“Everyone understands breaking the cycle of homelessness won't be easy, and will take time - but announcements like today's are a clear sign that the work of change under this Labour Government has well and truly begun."

Across the East of England, 23,934 people are estimated to be homeless.

Shelter – which described its research as a snapshot of the number of people recorded as homeless on a given night in 2024 – blamed "extortionate private rents" and a "dire lack of genuinely affordable" social homes for trapping more people in homelessness.