More people sleeping rough in Leicester could be helped into accommodation before Christmas thanks to more than £3.4million of Government funding awarded to Leicester City Council.
The funding forms part of the Government's national Rough Sleeping Programme, which aims to ensure everyone sleeping rough is offered a route off the streets before Christmas 2026.
Leicester City Council has secured £2.24million in revenue funding over the next three years, alongside almost £1.2million in capital funding, to create additional accommodation for people who have experienced long-term rough sleeping.
The council has worked closely with charities, housing providers, health services and voluntary organisations across the city to develop a package of support that will help people move off the streets and into accommodation, while also providing the help they need to stay there.
The first year of funding will see six new support projects get under way, alongside 63 units of specialised accommodation – in addition to the accommodation already being provided - to support long-term rough sleepers.
Over the past year, outreach services recorded 748 occurrences of rough sleeping in Leicester. The new funding is aimed particularly at entrenched rough sleepers, those at risk of returning to the streets, and people with multiple and complex support needs.
Projects being developed include additional supported accommodation, specialist outreach work to help people move directly from the streets into housing, support for people leaving prison, and services that help people settle into and sustain longer-term homes.
The programme will also strengthen joint working between housing, health, social care, substance misuse services and community organisations to provide tailored support for people moving away from rough sleeping.
Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, deputy city mayor and lead for housing said: "Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and we're committed to doing everything we can to help people move away from rough sleeping.
“This funding will help us build on the excellent work already taking place across Leicester to support people sleeping rough and help them access accommodation, healthcare and the support they need to rebuild their lives.
“We're fortunate to have fantastic charities, housing providers and support organisations working across the city, and this programme will strengthen those partnerships so that we can reach more people and provide help when it is needed most.
“Our immediate focus is to help as many people as possible off the streets before Christmas, while also making sure they receive the long-term support needed to maintain a home and avoid returning to rough sleeping in the future."
Leicester has been working closely with Government advisers, local partners and support organisations to bring the programme into operation as quickly as possible. The first projects will be up and running later this month, allowing support workers to begin helping people into accommodation ahead of Christmas.
The programme forms part of wider work to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness in Leicester through a long-term partnership approach involving the council, the NHS, housing providers, voluntary organisations and other agencies across the city.
More information on the wide range of homelessness services already available in Leicester is on the Homelessness Charter website: https://leicesterhomelessnesscharter.co.uk/