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"This additional funding will provide some much-needed support for local authorities to help prevent vulnerable households from becoming homeless this winter."

Cllr David Renard, LGA housing spokesperson responds to the Government’s announcement of the Protect and Vaccinate scheme to increase vaccination among people sleeping rough.

“It is positive that there is now clarity that local teams are able to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping."

Some people sleeping rough in some areas could be forced to stay out in the cold this winter to avoid a risk of infection in unsafe settings, due to shortfalls in funding and appropriate accommodation for councils to use, a new report for the Local Government Association warns today.

“These figures highlight the increased demand pressures on councils as they strive to provide homelessness support and underlines the urgent need for these services to be adequately funded.

"It is vital that the Spending Review shifts the Government’s focus towards the key drivers of homelessness, including a lack of affordable housing, welfare-related poverty, and a lack of an integrated prevention approach."

"This should, for now, reassure worried tenants and allay the serious concerns councils have had over the potential risk of homelessness some private renters may have faced."

“These figures highlight the extreme pressures homelessness services continue to be under, as a result of rising demand driven by a severe shortage of social housing."

Today’s announcement shows that the Government has listened to our calls and continued to fund homelessness services

Local Government Association’s Housing spokesman, Cllr David Renard, responds to the latest homelessness statistics showing the number of households living in temporary accommodation.