Vital work with rough sleepers to continue thanks to extra funding
Wiltshire Council has secured more than £300,000 in extra Rough Sleepers Initiative funding from central government for the third year of its rough sleepers project.
The additional funding will enable the council to continue to work with rough sleepers throughout Wiltshire to provide support and accommodation, and ultimately reduce rough sleeping in the county.
The council currently works with local homeless charities to reduce rough sleeping, and has a team of outreach workers that help rough sleepers to find a suitable and sustainable way off the streets and deal with any personal issues they may have.
This funding will enable the continued use of the Haven, a specialist accommodation facility, in conjunction with local charity Alabare; the work of outreach workers across the county to continue; a new Tenancy Sustainment Officer to support rough sleepers to stay in accommodation; a complex needs navigator to help rough sleepers get the professional help they need; and an offender navigator to help people coming out of prison get extra help and support.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: We're delighted that we've been able to secure this extra funding to continue to help rough sleepers in Wiltshire. In 2019, our dedicated team worked with 169 people who were rough sleeping or at serious threat of sleeping rough and found them accommodation.
We believe that nobody should be sleeping on the streets in Wiltshire, and everyone should have access to appropriate support to ensure there is a route off the streets and this funding will help with this aim.
There are many complex reasons why people end up sleeping rough, and our outreach teams and partner agencies work hard to help rough sleepers to turn their lives around.
Our dedicated teams will continue to focus on reducing the number of people sleeping rough in Wiltshire, and support those who are now accommodated to remain in their homes.
If anyone sees a rough sleeper in Wiltshire, please report it on StreetLink, as this will enable our teams to engage with them, if they aren't already.
People can report rough sleepers at StreetLink (opens new window) or via the StreetLink app; this will direct our teams to help people who need it.
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