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  Latest from our Independent MP.
  
  
  
  Government funding to tackle homelessness in Dover and Deal is going up 15.1%. Dover District Council's central government grant for homelessness prevention will increase from £150,219 last year to £172,842 in 2018/19. The amount has gone up eight-fold since 2016. The announcement by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government comes after I visited supported accommodation at Fern Court in Dover, run by homelessness charity Porchlight. I met with head of Dover and Ashford services Laura Miles and spoke with residents about the issues they face. Following the meeting I contacted ministers about a range of issues.
  
  We need to do more to tackle homelessness. People must get the right help so they can eventually support themselves. The residents I spoke to at Porchlight told me they were desperate to have a home of their own. Yet there are long waiting lists for hostels like this and not enough homes generally. That's why I am fully backing the district council leader's plans to build 51 properties for homeless people. It's great to see the Government investing in the services we need to help people here in Dover and Deal. Porchlight runs two hostels in Dover and Deal along with six shared flats and three shared houses. Drug and alcohol agencies also deliver support and train on-site staff. Tenants can stay for up to two years.
  
  The extra government funding comes in the form of a flexible homelessness support grant. This replaces the existing temporary accommodation management fees which could only be used for expensive intervention when a household was already homeless. Dover District Council recently announced plans to build 51 modular properties to tackle homelessness. They will be used for families who would otherwise be placed for months in bed and breakfast accommodation, with each household costing local taxpayers around £10,000 per household a year.

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