More properties to be bought for temporary accommodation

Three more homes are to be bought to provide to address homelessness in West Devon, adding to the eight already purchased in the last two years by the borough council.

The properties, costing around £300,000 each, will be part-funded by the third round of the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) and are expected to go some way to easing housing pressures.

Temporary accommodation for people facing homelessness cost West Devon Borough Council £500,000 last year, nearly double the budgeted amount.

At fewer than 20 people, it is claimed that the borough has the lowest number of residents in temporary accommodation in Devon, but the average cost of housing people in B&Bs and hotels is £1,200 a week, the council’s hub committee heard.

By buying more homes, councils can reduce long-term spending on accommodation, and West Devon has taken advantage of previous funding rounds to do this.

The schemes have brought in almost £1 million since December 2022 with additional money coming from the Homes for Ukraine scheme (£500,000), developers’ contributions (£400,000)  and £200,000 from Devon County Council.

Of the eight properties purchased so far, five are in Okehampton and three in Tavistock.

The new government funding will bring in £459,000. West Devon will match fund this with £441,000 which includes an underspend from rounds one and two, £125,000 from the Flexible Housing Fund and will borrow the rest.

Two of the new properties will be for temporary accommodation and one for resettlement of refugees, which can be added to the temporary housing stock at a later date.

They will be two and three-bedroomed homes.

West Devon is also providing additional temporary housing by converting its own properties, including three flats in Plymouth Road, Tavistock.