West Suffolk invests a further £2.3m in homeless accommodation

26 Mar 2026

More, much needed accommodation for people from across the district who become homeless, is being delivered after a £2.3m investment by West Suffolk Council.

The money, which is being used to continue to expand the availability of temporary accommodation used by the council, for veterans, people fleeing domestic abuse and care leavers along with Individuals and families who have become homeless for a variety of reasons often associated with the cost of living

The latest properties for temporary accommodation are in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill. The exact locations of the properties aren’t being made public by the council as the people that will be housed in them will be vulnerable.

Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, Cabinet Member for Housing at West Suffolk Council, said: “We recognise that for most people being made homeless must be an utterly devastating experience. Our emphasis is always to try to prevent homelessness from happening wherever possible.

“Where it is not, we’ll try to work with the household – whether that’s an individual, a couple or a family, and support them in temporary accommodation until they are ready and able to move into a permanent and settled home once more.

“We are continuing to invest in securing temporary accommodation across West Suffolk. This is a major investment but one that is sadly needed to help some of our residents during their time of greatest need.”

The West Suffolk Council investment will deliver an additional 23 units of temporary accommodation providing support to people who are owed a homelessness duty and who are accepting and engaging with the support on offer. This will include families, couples, and individuals in the district who are experiencing homelessness, as well as veterans, care leavers and people fleeing domestic abuse. 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 available to the council up to 77.

The need for more temporary accommodation is demonstrated by the latest housing figures which show that as of 1 March 2026, West Suffolk Council had 67 households being supported in temporary or emergency accommodation such as bed and breakfasts.

The investment in more temporary accommodation will also help reduce the council’s reliance on emergency bed and breakfast accommodation for people who are homeless. Bed and breakfast placements tend to be more expensive for the council and taxpayers and are often less appropriate for the specific needs of families and individuals.

The council’s Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy, adopted in late 2024, set out the need for more temporary accommodation in West Suffolk.

The purchase of the two properties is part of a business case agreed by Cabinet last July.
 

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