£300K cash boost to help Mansfield council combat homelessness around the district

The authority has been assigned a total of £310,273 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to help with its statutory commitment to bring down the number of rough sleepers and other homeless people living on its streets.

A report to the council’s portfolio holder for corporate and Finance, Councillor Whitby, states: “This grant is designed to support the delivery of services to tackle homelessness across the country.

“The funding that has been provided is to help reduce homelessness in our area and allow us the flexibility to provide local services to the needs of the district.

“The funding is ring fenced for homeless prevention and will be used to prioritise prevention activity and to carry out homelessness activities in line with the principles of the Homelessness Reduction Act.

“The council has a statutory duty to ensure it complies with the Homelessness Reduction Act and that we deliver effective homelessness prevention services.

“The allocation awarded to the council will be used to undertake prevention activities or to deal directly with homelessness including supporting homeless services in the district and developing new services in line with the Homelessness Prevention Strategy.”

The authority has already drawn up a five-year action plan to reduce homelessness around the district, and the £300K will be used to support its delivery, the report states.

The cash is expected to be accepted as a delegated decision by Councillor Whitby at a meeting on Friday, May 28.

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