£5m funding for Portsmouth 'Move-On Accommodation' welcomed

Penny Mordaunt MP welcomes announcement of £4,608,403 for Portsmouth to help end rough sleeping and to fund the purchase of 'Move-On Accommodation'.

Today The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State with responsibility for Housing and Local Government has announced funding allocations for 3,300 units of 'Move-On Accommodation.

The national effort to support rough sleepers through this crisis has been remarkable. We have here a golden opportunity to ensure that people do not return to a life on the streets. It is a Conservative manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this parliament, a moral mission that we are embracing.

At the start of the pandemic, we required local councils in England to provide emergency accommodation in hotels to every homeless person living on the streets. Over 90% were offered a place to stay. ‘Everyone In’ was praised as the most successful programme of its kind anywhere in the world, and undoubtedly saved many lives. By September, over 29,000 vulnerable people had been supported.

Penny Mordaunt MP said,"The next step is ensuring they have a more settled home. Therefore, we are providing over £150 million, as part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to deliver more than 3,300 new homes this year. The first part of our effort to provide 6,000 longer-term, safe homes for those in need.

For Portsmouth this means just under £5m of funding to provide homes for the homeless that will help them onto a better path in life.Once in their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such as support for mental health or substance abuse problems, so they can rebuild their lives, move towards training and work, and remain off the streets for good.

This is the most ambitious commitment of its kind since Sir George Young oversaw the Rough Sleepers Initiative in the 1990s. These homes will be symbols of hope and opportunity for those looking to turn their lives around, and for the determination of our country to end rough sleeping."

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Grant funding subject to final sign-off between BEIS and the Local Authority and subject to due diligence and contracting.

Today’s announcement builds on this Government's significant work this year responding to rough sleeping. Over the summer we worked with every local authority to develop a local, tailored plan to support rough sleepers over the coming months and in September we announced that £91.5 million has been awarded to 274 councils to provide interim accommodation and support for rough sleepers or those at risk of rough sleeping. Taken together, this funding will provide both immediate and longer-term support to those housed during the pandemic as part of the Government’s Everyone In campaign – ensuring as few people as possible return to the streets.

On 13 October, we announced a £10 million Cold Weather Fund for councils to help to keep rough sleepers safe this winter, as well as an additional £2 million funding for the faith,communities and voluntary sector to transform their traditional rotating sleeping services into COVID-secure accommodation. This is on top of the £112 million allocated to councils this year for the Rough Sleeping Initiative, to support the establishment or enhancement of coordinated local services for rough sleepers or those at risk of sleeping rough. An additional £23millionwill be provided so that vulnerable individuals experiencing rough sleeping, including those currently in emergency accommodation as a response to COVID-19, can access the specialist help they need for substance dependency issues.

The overall amount the Government is spending on rough sleeping and homelessness this year is over £700 million.

The efforts to protect rough sleepers throughout the pandemic have been significant. Working with local councils, charities and housing providers I want to ensure progress is continued for years to come and these new, safe and supported homes will provide a solid foundation for those affected to rebuild their lives.