Cabinet to consider £3.2m homelessness investment

15 Jul 2025

A major investment of £3.2m to deliver more temporary accommodation to support people in West Suffolk who have become homeless, is due to be decided next week.

West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet will consider a business case for the investment in buying and refurbishing properties in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill for use as temporary accommodation, when it meets on Tuesday.

The precise locations of the properties aren’t being made public by the council as the people that will be housed there could include victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable people who may be at risk of being preyed upon and exploited.

The business case follows directly on from the actions set out in the council’s Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy adopted late last year.

It would also assist in reducing the council’s reliance on emergency bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless residents. Bed and breakfast placements tend to be more costly for the council and taxpayers and are often less appropriate for meeting the specific needs of households, particularly families or individuals.

Subject to approval, the investment will deliver an additional 23 units of temporary accommodation dedicated to providing housing to families, couples, and individuals in West Suffolk experiencing homelessness. Each unit is designed to meet the needs of one household whether that’s accommodation for a family or a room for a single person. The additional temporary accommodation will take the total number of units up to 72.

The need for more temporary accommodation is demonstrated by the latest housing figures which show that as of 1 July 2025, West Suffolk Council had 70 households being supported in temporary or emergency accommodation.

Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, Cabinet Member for Housing at West Suffolk Council said: “We are continuing to see families, couples and individuals in West Suffolk who are struggling to keep up with their rent or mortgages and need our help. Our Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy is ambitious in setting out how we work collaboratively with community, health and housing partners to try to address this including more housing that is genuinely affordable.

“Our emphasis is always through early intervention to try to prevent a household from becoming homeless. But that’s not always possible and there is a need for more temporary accommodation to support families, couples and individuals from across West Suffolk during what is no doubt an extremely difficult time in their lives. That is why I will be asking Cabinet to agree to this major investment of £3.2m when it meets next week.”

In April the council launched the new West Suffolk Housing Pathway, offering tailored support and accommodation to people with learning difficulties, mental health needs, people battling drug or alcohol addiction, homeless people, ex-offenders and people who are working but need additional support.

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