Stafford secures £672,000 towards rough sleeper support and accommodation
Rough sleepers will be given support as well as a place to stay as part of a new scheme in Stafford borough.
The Government has awarded more than £670,000 towards Stafford Borough Council’s latest work to tackle rough sleeping.
The authority is aiming to provide six units of supported accommodation in one building for people with high-level support needs. Ccabinet members will be asked to approve the spending at a meeting on Thursday.
Councillor Jeremy Pert, cabinet member for communities and health, said: “Tackling the issue of people sleeping rough in Stafford is not just about providing a roof over someone’s head. Many of those we see on a regular basis have been provided with, or found, somewhere to live – but often find themselves in a spiral of behaviour and back on the streets again.
“We are looking to help those who require more 24/7 support alongside the accommodation, because without it they will find themselves very quickly without a roof over their head.
"There are major challenges ahead – and we will need to find the right property, and select the right partner, to deliver a scheme that will fill a gap for specialist accommodation for single people with multiple and complex needs.
“One person sleeping rough is one person too many. With this latest proposal, running alongside all the other initiatives that we have introduced, we are confident we can eradicate the issue of people needing to live on the streets.”
Earlier this year Stafford Borough Council secured £312,000 for five units of self-contained accommodation with support following a successful joint bid made with social housing provider Humankind. The latest windfall comes from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and takes the total funding awarded this year to Stafford Borough Council for its work to support rough sleepers to almost £1m.
A report to Thursday’s cabinet meeting said: “Government are committed to ending rough sleeping by the end of the current Parliament and revenue funding has been made available to local authorities to achieve this. Following a competitive process Stafford Borough Council has been successful in securing £672,947 to be spent between October 2022 and March 2025.
“With this being high level supported accommodation, the level of support will be significant, beyond any other provision that exists in Stafford Borough.”
