What consideration did the Minister give to the uplifting of the housing support grant in the Welsh Government’s recent draft budget?
We recognise the vital role housing support services, funded via the Housing Support Grant, play in supporting people across Wales to live independently and to prevent homelessness. In recognition of the importance of housing support services we increased the Housing Support Grant budget by £40m in 2021/22, to £166.763m, a rise of over 30%. Despite the difficult budgetary position, we have maintained this substantial increase in this year’s budget and in the 2023/24 Draft Budget.
In recognition of the wider pressures on homelessness services, the Homelessness Prevention Budget will increase by £15m in 2023/24, an additional £10m more than previously planned. This takes our investment in homelessness and housing support services to over £207m next year.