Sutton to spend £22m extra on tackling homelessness and helping Afghan refugees

Sutton Council will spend an extra £22m on buying at least 57 new homes for homeless housing applicants and refugees in the next two years.

The Council was recently awarded £11m funding by the Government and will match this with an additional £11m of its own borrowing. 30 of the 57 homes will be brand new and all the homes will be located around the borough.

Sutton has previously been granted £1.6m by the Government for the previous two rounds of funding from the Local Authorities Housing Fund. This money was used to find homes for 26 people who were recognised as homeless by the Council and to assist with the national refugee resettlement programme. 

All the new homes will be managed by Sutton Living Ltd, a council-owned company, and residents will be on assured shorthold tenancies to give them more housing security and permanent homes. The decision was approved  unanimously at a meeting of the Housing, Economy & Business Committee on 17 September 2024.

Some of the funding must be used to house Afghan refugees as part of the government programme to support those fleeing violence and persecution in Afghanistan. A full package of resettlement support is in place in Sutton for all refugees.

At least 27 of the new homes bought under this programme will be bought back from residents in Sutton  who bought their council homes previously but who now want to move. It is possible more than 57 homes could be purchased depending on property type and prices.

As families move on from these homes, the properties will be used by the Council to continue helping meet the needs of local residents in temporary accommodation. This will increase long-term capacity in the borough and provide permanent homes for those most in-need.

Councillor Jake Short, Chair of the Housing, Economy & Business Committee, said:
“Sutton, like all other London boroughs, is experiencing a real housing and homelessness crisis. I am proud of  this Council’s record in helping our homeless, which has been recognised by the Government with this record amount of new funding. 

“The Council has a commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing and to be an inclusive place for everyone. These new homes will make a massive difference to at least 57 families in Sutton who will now not need to go into costly temporary accommodation and will now have permanent homes where households can contribute to the local community.

“It is also important to recognise Sutton’s contribution to the national resettlement programme for refugees and we welcome new families into the borough. Sutton’s diversity is our strength, and we welcome any opportunity to help those fleeing war and persecution.