Government funding will be used to help pay for an expansion of homelessness accommodation in North Herts, it has been confirmed.

Mick Debenham, cabinet member for regulatory at North Herts Council, said £81,000 from a government grant will be used by One YMCA to replace internal doors with fire doors at their Anderson House accommodation in Hitchin, part of the work needed to increase their capacity from 46 to 71.

The funding is part of a £2.8m grant provided to the council over the next three years from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which must be spent on homelessness services.

A cabinet meeting last week (Tuesday, June 16) also confirmed that almost £700,000 from the grant will be provided to Keystage Housing, who provide specialist accommodation and helps people move into their own accommodation, and has faced difficulties accessing higher levels of housing benefit to ensure the service remains viable.

Both Keystage and One YMCA offer accommodation for single people who are homeless.

The council owed a legal duty to 56 homeless single people last year, which was a reduction from 67 in the previous year.

A council report said that "the single homeless pathway generally operates at full capacity with a waiting list for accommodation averaging around 30 people at any one time".

"The pathway enables us to move individuals on from temporary accommodation in a meaningful way, providing them with the support they need," the report added.

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Cllr Debenham said the funding for each organisation would "support the council in meeting its homelessness duties [and] enhance local provision and increase accommodation capacity across the district".