Croydon Council has been awarded a £1.76m government grant for its ongoing work providing specialist support for rough sleepers.
The funding will support the council’s projects with partner organisations to help people off the streets, employ more specialist staff, and offer extra financial support to help former rough sleepers find a place of their own.
There will be £395,000 for emergency accommodation through the council’s Somewhere Safe to Stay hub, which is run by charity Evolve Housing + Support and assesses rough sleepers’ financial, medical and housing needs, and offers wraparound help.
Around £130,000 will go to the council’s Housing First project, which arranges specialist long-term housing, medical and mental health support that has prevented around 25 of the most vulnerable former rough sleepers from returning to the streets.
The funding will also include £322,000 to fund the council’s specialist staff that support rough sleepers and £150,000 to find more private rented housing for eligible rough sleepers and provide grants to help them afford these moves.
During the national lockdowns, the council placed over 450 homeless people into temporary or long-term private supported housing.
Croydon has submitted successful bids in each year of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)’s Rough Sleeper Initiative, set up in 2018 to fund councils preventing homelessness through rapid and tailored move-on support, particularly for people considered at risk.
“The council’s superb rough sleeping team work with local groups and charities to provide a range of projects to support people off the streets for good.
“This funding means we and our partners will expand the practical and personal help that rough sleepers need, including for some very vulnerable people. It also underlines the confidence that MHCLG has in our ability to do this important work.”
Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice, cabinet member for homes