Council in £1.8m pledge to house young homeless

The properties are intended to be "stepping-stones towards independent living"

Nearly £2m is to be spent in Herefordshire buying "at least 10 homes" for young homeless people, the county council says.

They will address "gaps in homelessness" for vulnerable people aged 18-25 who are at risk of or are sleeping rough, Herefordshire Council said.

Half of the £1.8m investment will come from a £910,000 government capital grant, with a further £402,000 from the NHS Better Care Fund.

The remaining £498,000 comes from funding paid by developers into local community infrastructure as a condition of planning permission on projects.

It will provide a budget of up to £157,000 to buy each property, a further £15,000 for refurbishment, and £5,500 for surveys and legal fees.

These will serve as "stepping-stones towards independent living", reducing the risk of young people falling back into homelessness and rough sleeping, the council said.

It confirmed it has already spent £147,500 on an unnamed property, which it says can be refurbished within the £15,000 budget.

The council has a statutory duty to house those who are unintentionally homeless, and a responsibility to boost the life chances of looked-after children and care leavers, its decision points out.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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