Thousands of rough sleepers will be able to access a safe place
to stay as the Department for Levelling Up announces a funding
boost to the Night Shelter Transformation Fund.
More than £3 million will be available to shelters to provide
more beds and life-changing support services.
Shelters can use the funding to continue to offer a vital route
off the streets – providing specialist staff, drug or alcohol
advice and financial assistance.
This builds on the over £9 million delivered in the first-round
which funded 80 organisations over three years, targeting areas
most in need.
The second-round cash injection will help more rough sleepers
turn their lives around.
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, said:
Night shelters are often the first step for rough sleepers to get
off the streets and turn their lives around, providing a safe
place to sleep and access to support. Today, I visited Gravesham
Sanctuary to see how our Night Shelter Transformation Fund helps
organisations provide these services. I’m delighted to announce
this £3 million boost to the fund which will be life-changing for
rough sleepers up and down the country.
The Night Shelter Transformation Fund is the next step in the
government’s commitment to end rough sleeping for good. In 2022,
the Department for Levelling Up announced the 3-year £500 million
Rough Sleeping Initiative, in addition to £1 billion given to
councils over three years to help them prevent and tackle rough
sleeping in the areas its most needed.
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link said:
The Night Shelter Transformation Fund is an incredibly important
project enabling homeless organisations to transform the quality
of off-the-street accommodation in their local communities.
Being able to offer dignified accommodation makes a huge
difference to our members’ work to end rough sleeping and reduce
the need for emergency shelters. We are extremely pleased to hear
that the government is making additional funding available,
ensuring that even more people will be able to benefit from this
essential initiative.
It is a pleasure to visit Gravesham Sanctuary’s newly developed
property and meet staff and guests, to find out first-hand the
impact that the Fund is having and to learn more about how this
particular project is run.
Kathy Mohan OBE, CEO of Housing Justice said:
This is a vital funding stream for the network faith and
community groups across England. Projects like Gravesham
Sanctuary not only provide material support by way of a place to
sleep and casework support, but they also provide a crucial
element of a person’s journey out of homelessness: community.
We welcome today’s announcement and look forward to supporting
night shelter providers to apply for this funding to transform
their services and the lives of the people they work with in the
coming months.
Carol Webster from Gravesend Sanctuary said:
Night shelters are an important first step for people
experiencing homelessness. Our transformed shelter enables guests
to stay a few weeks or months until their move into settled
accommodation.
We rely on funding to provide guests with the best possible care
and services, breaking the cycle of homelessness with life
skills.
As a faith-based charity, our ethos is one of welcome and we
build strong, non-judgmental relationships with guests from all
walks of life. We are passionate about equipping people for a
safer, more stable path.
Organisations can access the prospectus and check their
eligibility on the government website. The prospectus will be
launched in a few weeks.
