Vital homes for families in need being developed in Rossendale.

Rossendale Borough Council is buying, repairing and refurbishing three empty properties to be used as affordable supported temporary accommodation.

There is currently no temporary supported accommodation suitable for families in the borough except for one house that the council owns, and there is need for more homes.

These will be used for families who are temporarily homeless due to various circumstances including domestic violence, family breakdown or a negative change in finances.

The provision of emergency accommodation for homeless families and couples is a significant issue, with some households needing to be placed into bed and breakfast type accommodation for short periods of time, but this is very expensive and not legal to do so for longer than six weeks.

There has previously been supported accommodation in Burnley which could accept small numbers of families, however this facility closed in 2018.

Councillor Steve Hughes, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Customers, said:

This is a big investment for the Council to make but temporary homes like this are absolutely crucial and much needed in the area. We have a major priority to prevent homelessness and keep families housed and safe, and also to bring empty properties back into use.”

The full report can be found here: www.rossendale.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/1182/council