Council secures extra funding to help rough sleepers

Government grant will assist council in placing homeless into accommodation

WEST Berkshire Council has been awarded funding to help rough sleepers into accommodation.

The £184,286 is from the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP)

West Berkshire is one of 274 councils that will receive the housing support for vulnerable people.

The money has been made available by the Government to help local authorities get through the worst of Covid-19.

When Covid-19 began to take hold, the council worked with partners to make sure that rough sleepers in West Berkshire were safe and had somewhere to go.

West Berkshire’s executive member for housing and homelessness Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley and Cold Ash) said: “We were proactive in applying for this important funding and are grateful to receive it.

“It will help us continue our work with those sleeping rough to secure accommodation and to access the wider support they need.

“Reducing rough sleeping is a key council priority and this money will enable us and our partners to continue with this work.

“I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who work so tirelessly with us to reduce rough sleeping and the impacts of rough sleeping in West Berkshire.

“Through the new funding, we will be able to continue this work.

“It will help provide accommodation in the private rented sector, secure interim accommodation and allow us to assess the wider support needed for these vulnerable people to rebuild their lives.

“As we approach the colder weather, the good this funding will do in keeping people off the streets cannot be underestimated.”