§ Mr. CrausbyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to ensure that social landlords offer accommodation to homeless people with drug problems. [61159]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe White Paper "Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain", issued in April 1998, sets out the Government's anti-drugs strategy for the next 10 years. This includes a proposal that senior representatives of local housing authorities are included in the core, multi-agency membership of Drug Action Teams, to ensure that housing initiatives are included in local strategies designed to meet the needs of people with drug problems. In addition, the new body to tackle rough sleeping in London, where the problems are most intense, will put in place a programme of outreach support and 263W hostels which will target the needs of people with drug problems who sleep rough in the Capital and who are not ready to move directly into a permanent social tenancy.
Under the homelessness legislation, local housing authorities must assist people who are unintentionally homeless and vulnerable because of ill health or other special reason; this includes those who are vulnerable because of drug problems. And in allocating permanent social tenancies, local housing authorities must give reasonable preference to persons with medical or welfare problems, among others. Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) already provide 700 units of supported accommodation specifically for people with drug problems, and also manage a number of hostels for homeless people which provide support for this client group. The Housing Corporation is currently developing good practice guidance for RSLs on strategies for providing residential services to drug users, in conjunction with the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator.