The government has confirmed it will bring forward amendments to the Social Housing Bill, which will help retain more social homes, strengthen homelessness prevention and ensure social housing is allocated to those who need it most.

Councils will be given new powers to refer homeless households to private registered providers of social housing, in a bid to reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and improve access to housing for those in greatest need.  
 

The Bill will also a new disposals notification requirement, which will give councils and other social housing providers better opportunity to purchase social homes before they are sold outside the sector.

Furthermore, a new Duty to Collaborate will require public services to work more closely together to identify people at risk of homelessness and consider what action they can take within their existing responsibilities to help prevent homelessness.