Vulnerable renters on the Isle of Wight struggling due to the impact of the COVID pandemic will be helped by a share of a multi-million-pound support package recently announced by the Government.
The Isle of Wight Council has been allocated around £160,000 to support low-income earners who are behind on their rent — helping to prevent homelessness and support families get back on their feet.
The fund recognises the impact the pandemic has had on households in the private rented sector with the lowest income, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said. It also forms part of the council’s ongoing support to those who are in need in the private renting sector.
The funding will be available through the winter months and households at risk of eviction or homelessness should contact the council if they require help.
Councillor Ian Stephens, deputy leader and Cabinet member responsible for housing provision and housing needs, said:
“Our response to support people at risk of homelessness during this crisis has protected many lives and it is vital we continue to provide support as we enter the winter months.
“As a top-up to the existing Homelessness Prevention Grant, this money is ringfenced for homelessness to target those most in need. It will help us to support low-income private renters with COVID-19 related rent arrears to avoid eviction or find a new home where necessary to prevent homelessness.”
People who are homeless or threatened with homelessness should contact the council’s Homelessness Reduction Team who can advise of the options available to you and how the council can assist you.
For further information, visit https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/care-and-Support/Housing/Homeless-Section/Homelessness or call 01983 823040.
Yeah that’s a great idea, keep the landlords happy, like they are not rich enough anyway. Feeding off the poorer in society just so they can go off on a nice cruise somewhere and not give a stuff about how the tenants can even feed themselves sometimes. I’m sure there will be a landlord or two replying to this saying how hard up they are, well if that’s the case, sell off the 2nd, 3rd or more properties you have and let someone who actually needs it to live in it buy it.
How about FIRST sending a means testing agent. Check out their costly phones, their huge TVs, their sky, netflicks etc costs, the amount of alcohol and drugs consumed, the number of expensive tattoos, the unnecessary spary on tans, the length of fake fingernails still stuck on after all that house work and gardening they do.
Check out also the loft for home produced crops adding to income, check out the size and cost of the car (s), check out the working on the sly for cash, check out the free food received, check out how little rent and c.tax is paid, how nothing is paid for prescriptions and dental treatment too.
Too true! Haha, yes, spot on. See them everywhere, far too many of these types around. Always the ones to never wear masks in enclosed spaces too [no doubt because, oh, they’re “exempt”] and never stop talking loud on their mobile phones at same time making sure all their germs get spread around everywhere to all and sundry. Vile, just vile excuses for people.
It was bred into me from my parents who had a lifetime of private rented rooms (many families could only rent the upstairs few rooms of a house in the 50’s) and then council flat (hi rise in London) that the doctrine was rent first, everything else after, as a roof above your head is the most important thing no matter how it was provided.
It now seems to be considered as some sort of right to have everything paid for by someone else.
This will be fine, just as long as any assistance goes to people who HAVE actually been disadvantaged due to Covid-19. I mean those who were in work and either had work taken away due to being laid off (which some firms did do), and those who had to survive on 80% of their usual work pay. NOT those only on benefits who then gained an extra £20 a week hand-out for doing nothing!