Providers of homelessness services in Exeter have raised serious concerns with me about proposed funding reductions by Devon County Council (DCC).
During a recent debate in Parliament, I spoke about the particular challenges to tackling homelessness in Exeter as the region’s largest urban centre. Local organisations have reported rising demand for services which are already stretched to their limit.
Homelessness rose sharply under 14 years of Conservative Government, after falling to historic lows under Labour.
Exeter City Council has received an additional £500,000 from the Labour Government, bringing its homelessness budget to £1.8 million. However, LibDem/Green-run Devon County Council has confirmed it is cutting its own £1.4 million homelessness budget to £500,000. This is funding that supports essential care and support services, including accommodation for people moving on from rough sleeping.
One of the services at risk is Gabriel House, a key hostel in the city that provides a safe place for people transitioning away from the streets. Providers say they have had little-to-no communication from the Lib Dem/Green administration at DCC about the future of their funding, despite the proposals first being raised 18 months ago under the previous Tory leadership.
I’ve written to the Leader of Devon County Council asking for urgent clarity on what funding will be available and how the council plans to meet people’s care needs if vital services are forced to close.
I’ve also paid tribute to the organisations working on the frontline — including St Petrock’s, YMCA, CoLab, Gabriel House and Julian House — who continue to support people experiencing homelessness despite uncertainty about future resources.
I’ve been lucky enough to join dedicated outreach teams from St Petrock’s and Julian House on early‑morning walkabouts to better understand the challenges people face and the pressures on local services. I’m very grateful to them and other providers like Gabriel House and the YMCA for continuing to support people who need them despite the ongoing uncertainty.
We urgently need both adequate funding and clear communication from DCC. Without this, the pathway out of homelessness will become far hard for people to navigate.
