§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken, and what money he has allocated for(a) key teams of care workers to make contact with mentally ill homeless people, (b) specialist hostels and (c) provision of permanent homes with care following the homeless mentally ill initiative; and if he will make a statement. [325]
§ Mr. BowisOver £20 million has been allocated to the homeless mentally ill initiative since it was launched in 1990. This has covered the capital costs of 10 short-stay hostels providing nearly 150 bed spaces. The long-term revenue costs of these high-care bed spaces are met from the mental illness specific grant; costs are currently130W £15,500 per annum per bed space for the first three years, tapering to £7,750. This funding will continue for the foreseeable future. The Housing Corporation has committed £9.5 million to the provision of 181 units of move-on accommodation. Funding for five multi-disciplinary community psychiatric outreach teams is built into the annual allocations to regional health authorities.