East Suffolk Council are ensuring homeless people in the district can keep safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a response to the public health emergency and the government’s request, East Suffolk Council have placed 26 homeless people in emergency accommodation to prevent them from sleeping rough at this unprecedented time.
The emergency accommodation consists of social housing stock, self-contained hotel rooms and private housing which has been furnished with the essentials, including furniture, white goods and food parcels.
The social housing stock became available when the Gateway to Homechoice scheme, which gives residents the opportunity to bid for council and social housing properties, was suspended last month due to COVID-19. This enabled the Council to use vacant housing stock to temporarily accommodate homeless people, keeping them safe during the outbreak.
The quick response to the government’s request was made possible by the Council’s Housing Needs, Tenancy Services and Repairs and Maintenance teams, who worked together closely, supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ensure that homeless people were allocated vacant accommodation at short notice. All teams continue to work closely with public bodies, partners and organisations to ensure that those placed in emergency accommodation will continue to receive the support they need and food parcels.
Cllr Richard Kerry, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Everyone involved has put in a huge effort to ensure that all rough sleepers in East Suffolk have been allocated accommodation, giving them a safe place to practice social distancing or self-isolate in line with official guidelines.
“This has been a huge challenge and I would personally like to thank all teams involved, who have gone above and beyond their daily duties to make this happen at such short notice.
“It continues to be vitally important that everyone follows the guidelines of staying at home and practicing social distancing to keep themselves and others safe, so it remains a key priority for us to ensure that everyone has the space and support they need to do so.”
