Services for rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove have been given a funding boost of nearly half a million pounds.
The money will be used to help move people off the streets in the coming months before winter sets in.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has awarded Brighton & Hove City Council £495,107 for the rest of the financial year 2018-19 following a bidding process.
It will support a number of improvements, including:
A new 17-bed hub service will focus on moving rough sleepers off the streets quickly with outreach services on-site to work with people while accommodation options are being explored
- The winter night shelter provided by churches in the city will be supported by a new staff member to expand from 15 beds to 25
- Three new posts in the city’s rough sleeper outreach team. Two will carry out intensive case work, with one focusing specifically on women. The third will concentrate on people who are new to rough sleeping
- Psychological support services will be enhanced for people who have complex needs and personality disorders
- More accommodation will be commissioned and extra staff recruited to support rough sleepers who have less complex needs
- An occupational therapist will work to help expand people’s life skills and readjust to life off the streets.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s lead member for rough sleeping, Councillor Clare Moonan, said: “A lot of thought and planning went into our bid, so we will be hitting the ground running on this.
“People who end up sleeping rough often have complex needs and have had to deal with very difficult circumstances in their lives.
“Our focus isn’t just on getting them off the streets – it’s also on making sure they get the services they need to sustain their lives off the streets and not relapse into rough sleeping.
“Around half the city’s rough sleepers are not from Brighton & Hove. So there will also be more support for work helping these people reconnect with the areas they have come from so that they can get the accommodation and services they need.”
If you are a rough sleeper or are aware of someone who is rough sleeping, please contact StreetLink online at www.streetlink.org.uk or call them on 0300 500 0914.
