Homeless families in Plymouth are set to benefit from an additional £334,380 in investment in temporary accommodation.
The money will help purchase four homes from the open market that can be used to temporarily house local families.
It comes after the Council were already successful in obtaining £1,531,231 from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as part of round three of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF)
The proposal is for the grant to be passported to Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA), and Plymouth Access to Housing (PATH) to directly acquire, own and manage these family homes. BCHA have already successfully delivered the previous two rounds of the Local LAHF.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Communities and Cooperative Development, said: "Providing more temporary accommodation for homeless families in Plymouth is a key part of the measures we're putting in place to tackle the housing crisis.
"Having more options specifically for families is especially key because we are well aware of the detrimental effects to mental health caused by prolonged period in accommodation that is not suitable for the needs of whole households.
"These people aren't statistics; they're human beings with real lives and so anything we can do to help make such a stressful period of their lives that little more tolerable is time and money well spent."
Victoria Allen, Chief Executive of Path (Plymouth Access to Housing), said: “The Local Authority Housing Fund is an excellent initiative which helps provide temporary accommodation for families and we are thrilled to be able to help with providing more housing as part of this scheme.
“We have been working closely with BCHA and the Council to deliver this programme and we have already seen two successful rounds of the fund that have been delivered to support those who are eligible, and we look forward to working with them for this next phase.”
Nicola Greenfield, Director of Support at BCHA said 'We are delighted to be in a position to provide these homes in Plymouth for families in need.
“The grant, along with BCHA's additional funding, will enable these much needed, good quality and affordable homes in the area.
“The close working between ourselves, the Plymouth Alliance and Plymouth City Council has helped make these additional homes a reality.”
Three of the homes will be used as family temporary accommodation and one house for the resettlement of Afghan families who are in the UK as part of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme or Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
These two initiatives are designed to relocate locally-employed staff who worked for British forces, often in dangerous and challenging situations, during the conflict in their country.
The staff, who have moved with their families, provided roles such as translators, interpreters or clerks. Their work undoubtedly contributed to saving British lives and, in recognition of the commitment and bravery shown since 2013, they are entitled to build new lives in the UK.
Plymouth is just one of a number of cities involved in the scheme and the city’s involvement supports its strong connections with the Armed Forces and further boosts Plymouth’s credentials as a welcoming city.
The aim is that these properties will be purchased and lived in by March 2026.