Notts councils pledge £1m to help homeless after bid for government funds

Nottinghamshire councils have pledged £1million to services to tackle homelessness after a successful bid for Government funding. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Ashfield District Council submitted a bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in December 2019 on behalf of the county’s seven districts and boroughs, and their partners.

The money will be used for programmes aimed at preventing rough sleeping and supporting those affected.

It will be complemented by an additional £90,000 investment from Nottinghamshire County Council, £70,000 by Framework, and a combined £70,000 from the districts and boroughs.

Ashfield councillor Tom Hollis said: “We welcome this funding as it will help with a wide variety of homelessness services. It is important that we prevent people from losing their homes, so working proactively with private landlords is key.

“This funding will put the resources in place to support the most vulnerable people in our society.”

The consortium will now be able to fund rough sleeping co-ordinators and housing navigators to work with each organisation to ensure that they are offering people the support that they need in the right place at the right time.

A street outreach team will work with those who have additional needs such as substance misuse, or mental health issues.

There will also be a range of interventions to prevent homelessness through housing and employment initiatives, such as the Call B4 You Serve service offering help with Universal Credit claims and advice to landlords whose tenants have fallen into arrears.

Between them, all of the consortium partners helped 125 households to access housing across the county between April and December 2019.

County councillor Tony Harper said: “This funding is great news for Nottinghamshire. It will allow us to develop services to tackle the underlying issues around homelessness.”

He added: “These services aren’t just about providing the appropriate accommodation for homeless people.

“We are giving people the support they need to take positive steps away from difficult situations and hopefully end the cycle of rough sleeping.”