£264m to support vulnerable communities

Welsh Labour’s Housing and Regeneration Minister, Carl Sargeant has outlined how £133m will be invested in each of the next two years to provide housing support and assistance for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

The funding was announced as part of the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget, the Supporting People Programme is crucial in enabling people to live independently and deal with the very difficult personal circumstances they often face. This investment will provide support over 50,000 people each year and will be crucial in preventing people turning to our health and social services.

Other housing initiatives boosted in the Welsh Government’s budget include:

• A further £20m over the next two years to provide smaller homes for tenants affected by the ‘bedroom tax’, bringing the affordable housing budget to £71.8m in 2014/15 and £62.1m in 2015/16;
• A further £5m providing loans to social landlords acquiring land for affordable housing developments;
• An extra £5m to provide loans to support Vibrant and Viable Places by converting empty commercial properties into homes for sale or rent.