WIREDGOV

The funding will help them to find a safe and secure roof in privately rented accommodation.

Mr Foster allocated up to £800,000 for homelessness charity Crisis to fund schemes to set up new shared tenancies for single homeless people in privately rented accommodation.

The minister also announced a further £230,000 for the charity to continue its Private Rented Sector Access Programme, which works with local landlords to help vulnerable people find the homes they need in privately rented accommodation.

Don Foster said:

No-one should have to face the frightening prospect of homelessness, and for many, particularly younger, single people, renting a room can be an affordable alternative to a flat or house.

We want to ensure that option is widely available, which is why today we’ve provided Crisis with a million-pound boost, helping hundreds more vulnerable people into tenancies that work for them, and finding a way forward to make rented rooms a reality right across the country.

Solutions for shared accommodation

Crisis have run the Private Rented Sector Access Scheme for the last 3 years, backed by almost £11 million government funding. The scheme has already helped more than 5,000 people find a home in the private rented sector, and by the end of March 2014, expects to have created as many as 8,000 new tenants.

Mr Foster said that today’s new £800,000 Sharing Solutions Programme is set to build on that success, helping vulnerable young people across the country find a room in shared accommodation they can afford.

The department expects to fund 8 schemes across the country, selected by competitive bids, which will work with local landlords to create more rooms for rent in shared accommodation, developing new affordable housing options for younger people who are homeless and have no family commitments.

The minister said the projects will also work with those facing the threat of homelessness, supporting them as they settle in with their new housemates.