Homeless people who were given accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic will not be turfed out onto the streets as lockdown measures ease, a senior councillor has said.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, responsible for housing and welfare reform at Brent Council, said officers were working “harder than ever” to ensure those at risk of homelessness are supported.

It comes amid concerns that, as emergency funding runs out, those who were sleeping rough at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak will lose access to the temporary accommodation that has protected them.

In Brent, 250 single homeless people were placed in emergency accommodation during the pandemic.

The council said it is in the process of ensuring they are now offered “suitable accommodation”, either in the private rented sector or, for those who are more vulnerable, in supported housing.

Cllr Southwood said: “Coronavirus hasn’t gone away. People experiencing homelessness remain more at risk, even as the government adjusts the lockdown.

“We are working harder than ever with our partners to help vulnerable people who are experiencing homelessness move from emergency accommodation, into more suitable housing that meets their individual needs.”

She added that anyone who is at risk of homelessness, or knows someone who is, should contact www.streetlink.org.uk to alert the council’s St Mungo’s outreach team.

In neighbouring Harrow, the council said it is part of a wider west London initiative to ensure those who were sleeping rough are not plunged back into the same situation.