Angela has welcomed the announcement that more rough sleepers in Guildford are set to be helped off the streets and into safe accommodation thanks to a £570,000 funding boost.
The funding will be allocated to Guildford and Cranleigh and will support vital projects such as night shelters, specialist mental health or addiction services, and targeted advice support to help rough sleepers off the streets for good.
It will fund up to 14,000 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England. Back in March, Angela welcomed the previous stage of the funding [video above].
This funding is one part of an unprecedented £750 million investment this year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping - part of the Conservative Government’s drive to end rough sleeping by 2024.
Analysis of the Rough Sleeping Initiative – now in its fourth year – shows that the programme has reduced rough sleeping by almost a third compared to areas which have not taken part in the programme.
Building on the past success of the programme, funding has almost doubled this year and will provide additional support to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Funding from previous years of the programme is already having a transformational effect at a local level with local authorities reporting significant falls in the number of rough sleepers.
Commenting, Angela said:
“I am delighted that Guildford and Waverley Councils will receive a further £570,000 between them to tackle rough sleeping through the next stage of the Rough Sleeping Initiative.
“This Conservative Government has shown it is absolutely determined to end rough sleeping, and this funding will do this by providing additional bed spaces and vital services such as night shelters and addiction support services in the Guildford constituency."
Commenting, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said:
“No-one should have to sleep rough and we have a duty to support the most vulnerable in our society.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have made it a priority to protect rough sleepers through our ongoing Everyone In campaign, which has supported more than 26,000 people into long term accommodation so far.
“To build on this progress, we are making the biggest ever investment under the Rough Sleeping Initiative to provide vital services to those who need it most as part of our drive to end rough sleeping for good.”