Greater Manchester wins funding to buy homes for homeless

Hundreds of homeless people could be provided with their own home in north-west England due to a new £20m fund, housing officials have said.

Greater Manchester will receive a £5m share of the initial investment to buy and renovate 50 houses, and could secure another 100 properties.

Simon Chisholm, from social investment firm Resonance, said the need for affordable housing was "significant".

Salford mayor Paul Dennett added that it was a "positive contribution".

The Local Democracy Reporter Service said houses and flats will be bought through a new round of the National Homelessness Property Fund, launched by Resonance, and leased to housing associations and homeless charities.

It will be funded by local authorities in Greater Manchester, the regional pension fund and social impact investors Big Society Capital.

People who are on local authority housing waiting lists in the area in which the properties are located will be offered homes with a minimum 12-months tenancy.

A Resonance spokesman said they would be offered tenancies with social landlords such as housing associations and councils.

He added: "Tenants will only ever be evicted for a serious breach of their tenancy."

Resonance hopes the fund will eventually raise up to £100m to support hundreds more in need.

The first fund, which ran from 2015 to 2018, raised £30m to buy 229 properties for 587 people.

The initial investment of this second fund could provide housing for more than 250 homeless people.

Mr Dennett, who is Greater Manchester's lead on homelessness, said the announcement by Resonance was a "positive contribution to tackling the housing and homelessness crisis".

More than 80,000 people are on social housing waiting lists in the region.

There are also about 3,600 individuals and families in temporary accommodation across Greater Manchester and 4,500 living in emergency accommodation.

In November, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said 40 extra beds would be made available for local homeless people this winter under the Bed Every Night scheme, which would cost £300,000 and come from his Mayoral Priorities Fund.

Earlier in the pandemic, the government's Everyone In scheme saw almost 15,000 homeless people in England moved into safe emergency accommodation such as hotels.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]