Coventry City Council earmarks £13m to house homeless families

Councillor David Welsh said the scheme would improve accommodation for people in need

A council is planning to buy 50 homes to help families who find themselves homeless.

Coventry City Council has allocated £13m for the scheme, which will provide temporary homes for families.

The local authority estimates there are currently almost 500 families in the city living in temporary accommodation and with the number likely to increase, it says more larger homes are needed.

Councillors said they wanted to avoid having to rely on B&B accommodation.

The council announced it had purchased a property on Gulson Road which had previously been a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) and refurbished it to help families in need.

"The home in Gulson Road was a HMO and is now a home for a large family," said Councillor David Welsh, cabinet member for housing and communities.

"The transformation is incredible."

Councillor Welsh said by buying up properties for temporary accommodation, the authority was saving thousands on hotel and B&B bills.

He said: "This new scheme, to buy and provide larger family homes, will reduce costs and most importantly improve supply at the same time reducing the concentrations of HMOs in the city."