An extra £222,000 has been allocated to Peterborough City Council to help prevent households at risk of becoming homeless.
Homelessness Prevention Grant ‘top-ups’ totaling £50m have been given to all funded local authorities in England by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The extra funds mean that a total of £2.81m has been allocated for Peterborough for 2025/26 to help thousands of households who are already homeless or are at risk of homelessness.
The additional £222,676 will go towards financial incentives for landlords and assessed households to support them to access to and to sustain their accommodation, such as deposits, rents in advance, or arrears payments.
The council will also continue its new operating model for housing and homelessness, promoting early engagement with its services, advice and guidance.
It also aims to tackle barriers people face when looking for accommodation including substance misuse and mental health.
In total last year, demand for social housing exceeded supply by 74% in Peterborough and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory Services Cllr Christian Hogg said: “While our housing strategy is increasing the amount of affordable housing, the private rental sector remains essential to bridging this gap.
“This funding provides additional tools to support families and individuals whose changing circumstances put them at risk of losing their home.”
The council was informed of the grant ‘top-up’ in a letter from Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness Alison McGovern.
She said that the money, which will be distributed in January, should be used to “ensure more households are supported at prevention stage, rather than relief.”
In May 2026 the Government will bring in a new Renters’ Rights Act, which will introduce a package of measures which it hopes will increase security and stability for renters.