MORE than £440,000 has been given to councils across Worcestershire so they can continue supporting rough sleepers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The money, from the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme, is part of the national strategy to end rough sleeping for good.
Funding will be used to continue providing bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation until March next year, for rough sleepers placed in temporary accommodation at the height of the coronavirus outbreak.
Help will also be given to people to find a permanent home in the private rented sector and extra money will be available to provide emergency cold weather shelters for rough sleepers this winter.
Wychavon led the successful funding bid in collaboration with the five other district councils in Worcestershire.
Further funding bids have been made to the Government to find long-term solutions to prevent people from having to sleep rough in the first place.
Coun Christopher Day, Executive Board Member for Housing, Health and Well-being on Wychavon District Council, said: “I’m delighted we have been successful in securing this money.
“This means we can provide permanent housing solutions for those we have supported during the Covid-19 pandemic to make sure they remain off the streets.”
Coun Shirley Webb, Bromsgrove District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Strategic Housing and Health and Well Being, said: “I’m pleased we’ve been able to secure this funding, which will help us and our Worcestershire neighbours support people we have housed at this difficult time to stay off the streets.”
