- Investment totalling £46 million allocated to 246 areas
nationwide – providing an estimated 750 additional staff and over
2,600 new beds in total
- Funding will be used for additional staff and outreach and
accommodation services
- This now means that over three-quarters of local authorities
in England are covered by specialist Rough Sleeping Initiative
(RSI) funding
Councils across the country will share over £46 million to help
get people off the streets and into accommodation, Communities
Secretary, Rt Hon MP has confirmed today
(25 March 2019).
The money forms part of the government’s £100 million Rough
Sleeping Strategy and will be used to fund rough sleeping
coordinator roles, add new or additional outreach services and
extend existing or provide new temporary accommodation. This
includes night shelters and hostel spaces. There is also an
opportunity to provide housing-led solutions such as Housing
First services.
This funding includes £34 million for the 83 Rough Sleeping Areas
and an additional £12 million for other areas of the country,
demonstrating this government’s commitment to tackling the issue
and ending rough sleeping once and for all.
Across all areas, it is estimated that the money will provide
funding for up to:
- 110 rough sleeping coordinators to improve local handing of
the issue
- 300 outreach workers
- 350 other support and specialist roles
- over 1,400 new emergency bed spaces, including winter night
shelter provision
- over 700 new long-term beds, including in the private rented
sector and supported housing
- more than 500 new temporary spaces, through hostels for
example
- over £2.5 million for spot-purchasing beds and increasing
access to accommodation
Some projects will provide specialist support such as family
reconnections, immigration advice or access to mental and
physical health services.
Others will focus on providing services for specific groups of
people, such as vulnerable women, those transitioning from
leaving care or people trying to get their life back on track
after leaving prison.
Communities Secretary, Rt Hon MP said:
The £100 million-backed Rough Sleeping Strategy sets out this
government’s blueprint for ending rough sleeping for good.
We are taking the necessary steps to make that happen, already
providing 2,600 additional beds and 750 more support staff for
the most vulnerable people in our society.
But we must keep up the momentum and that’s why we are giving
this funding to areas and projects that need it, ensuring
progress continues to be made and people are given the help
they need to turn their lives around.
This is all part of the government’s Rough Sleeping
Initiative, launched last spring, which is providing over £45
million to councils over the next 2 years to support rough
sleepers in their area off the streets and into secure
accommodation where they can get the help they need to rebuild
their lives.
In August 2018, the
government unveiled its Rough Sleeping
Strategy, which sets out the next steps towards achieving the
aim of supporting everyone off the streets and into a home and to
end rough sleeping for good, backed by £100 million of funding.
As outlined in the Rough Sleeping Strategy, the government has
provided £45 million for the Rough Sleeping Initiative fund.
This consists of £34 million for the 83 authorities with the
highest number of rough sleepers and a further £12 million set
aside for spending on other areas and projects in the 2019-20
year.
The additional £1 million will be funded from within existing
budgets.
See the Rough Sleeping Initiative
funding allocations (PDF, 171KB, 6
pages)
