£948,000 in the form of the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant is designed to help prevent people from ending up in a position where they are at risk of losing the roof over their head

Liverpool City council will spend almost an extra £1m tackling homelessness over the next two years after securing new grant funding from the Government.

The £948,000 in the form of the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant is designed to help prevent people from ending up in a position where they are at risk of losing the roof over their head.

A report to the council’s Cabinet on Friday, August 4, is recommending using the money to increase the number of staff in the Housing Options Service which helps people find new accommodation, and providing more outreach support for vulnerable people.

It is in addition to the council’s existing budget of £10.8m for homelessness which is spent on a range of services including temporary accommodation and housing as well as help for rough sleepers and people with complex needs.

Cllr Paul Brant, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “We have taken great care to protect homelessness services from reductions in funding despite the huge cuts that we have faced in recent years.

“But it is a struggle due to welfare reforms and austerity which have left many more people vulnerable.

“We will be using this additional funding to prevent people from becoming homeless rather than picking up the pieces when somebody has lost their home and I would like to thank our staff who have worked hard to secure this valuable extra money.”

The grant comes in two tranches, with £448,800 in 2017/18 and £499,634 in 2018/19.