Proposals to transform temporary accommodation support

A set of proposals to improve support for homeless people needing temporary accommodation are being discussed by the council's Cabinet on Thursday 23 April.

Together, the proposals aim to improve the quality of temporary accommodation available for people who need it, make the financial model of viable for increased use of council-owned temporary accommodation and improve tenancy readiness for people to move back to secure housing.

These are a response to increasing pressure on the city’s homelessness services, with a key focus of improving support for families with children and reducing the numbers of households needing to be placed outside of the city.

More than 2,100 households are currently living in emergency or temporary accommodation, with around 40% of those households including children. Demand for this type of accommodation is currently growing by around 166 households per year.

The proposals cover:

  • a year-long extension of the short-term scheme using a limited number of vacant council homes as temporary accommodation
  • reviewing rents for council‑owned and long‑leased temporary accommodation to align with current Local Housing Allowance rates
  • developing a new supported temporary accommodation model

Using council-owned homes as temporary accommodation

In January this year, the council introduced a short-term scheme using empty council homes to improve support for homeless households and ease increasing costs of temporary accommodation.

To date, 42 homes have allocated as temporary accommodation, with a further 19 expected to become available by 1 May, when the initial interim scheme ends.

The proposal is to continue with the interim scheme to 1 May 2027 for up to a maximum of 180 properties over the lifetime of the scheme. We anticipate this would involve around 20% of the council homes that become available for letting over the next 12 months.

As part of the review of the initial scheme, we carried out a 6-week consultation to get resident feedback.

The consultation received 378 responses, with 39.7% of people identified as being on the council’s housing register, 32% were living in temporary or emergency accommodation, and 12.4% were council tenants or leaseholders.

Responses showed broad support for the principle of using empty council homes as temporary accommodation, particularly where this results in improved quality, safety and stability of accommodation compared with nightly‑paid or out‑of‑area placements.

However, there were also consistent concerns raised by people on the housing register about reduced availability of homes for bidding, longer waiting times, and issues of fairness and transparency. 

These concerns were particularly strong among households who had been bidding for a long time, or living in overcrowded conditions or accommodation inappropriate for their households’ needs.

In response to the feedback, the proposals have been amended to introduce a clear overall cap of 180 properties, apply a more flexible month‑by‑month approach to respond to demand, and to exclude 4‑bedroom homes. Seniors housing and housing association homes will continue to be excluded.

These changes are intended to mitigate impacts on households waiting for settled housing while retaining the council’s ability to reduce reliance on the most unsuitable and costly forms of temporary accommodation.

Rent review

A further proposal is a rent review of council‑owned and long‑leased temporary accommodation to align rents with current Local Housing Allowance rates, to ensure income more accurately reflects the cost of providing the support.

Affordability is a central consideration. For any households who are adversely affected, a dedicated hardship support fund will be set up, alongside personalised advice and welfare entitlement checks, to minimise the risk of financial hardship as a result of the proposed change.

For the majority of households living in council‑owned temporary accommodation, there should be no change in affordability, as Housing Benefit entitlement will increase with any changes to rent levels.

Alongside rising demand, the council’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy identifies increasing vulnerability and complexity of need among households living in temporary accommodation.

For some households, the current system does not consistently provide the level of support required, contributing to longer stays and limiting effective move‑on.

Developing supported exempt accommodation

The final proposal of developing a ‘Supported Exempt Accommodation’ (SEA) in Brighton & Hove offers a way to improve the support available.

Delivered by not‑for‑profit providers such as registered providers, SEA enables accommodation to be provided alongside additional care and support.

Nationally, this model is recognised as an effective means of providing greater stability, improving outcomes and supporting households to move towards independent living.

An options appraisal assessing the viability of this approach in Brighton & Hove demonstrated the potential to reduce reliance on nightly‑paid accommodation, strengthen Housing Benefit recovery and provide more intensive housing management and support for some households entering temporary accommodation.

Improving support for homeless households

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “We’re seeing an increasing housing crisis in the city with rising numbers of people experiencing homelessness, increasing levels of support needed and escalating financial pressures on the council.

“This situation is unsustainable. We know that prolonged stays in temporary accommodation, particularly nightly‑paid provision, mean poorer outcomes for households, including disrupted education for children, and negative impacts on physical and mental health.

“It’s why we need to take action to increase supply and standards in temporary accommodation – one of the key priorities in our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025 to 2030.

“These proposals are about improving support and improving outcomes for people who find themselves homeless, particularly for children and vulnerable adults.

“We appreciate extending the scheme using more council homes will mean delays for some people on the council’s housing register currently waiting for a home or applying for a transfer.

“We do hear the concerns and, if the proposal to extend the scheme is agreed, we will be amending the process to make sure it’s flexible to meet shifting demands, and adding 4 bedroom homes to the properties that will be excluded. We appreciate these are the homes where families can face a longer wait.”

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