Deputy Prime Minister announces £240k emergency support to tackle homelessness in Sheffield
An emergency £240,000 fund for Sheffield has been launched by the Deputy Prime Minister to help rough sleepers this winter.
The funding boost comes as part of a £10m package that will ensure rough sleepers have access to a safe and warm bed across the country over the cold months.
Sheffield has one of the highest proportions of rough sleeping outside of London, with rough sleeping across the country increasing by 27 per cent last year.
The emergency package has been awarded to areas most in need and can be used to provide support to vulnerable individuals sleeping rough, including veterans, care leavers, victims of domestic abuse - and to help prevent people returning to the streets.
Today (November 6), Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner chaired the first cross-government group on tackling homelessness.
During the meeting, Rayner pledged to end “sticking plaster” measures, and instead tackle the root cause of the problem.
Rayner said: “Anyone forced to sleep rough on our streets represents a complete failure of the broken system we've inherited. It's a national disgrace, and we can’t keep sticking plasters on it.
“We are approaching the harshest months of the year, so we are taking immediate action to reach anyone sleeping rough and help them off the streets this winter.
“Bringing together Ministers across government is a crucial step to tackle this crisis at its root, to ensure everyone has access to the basic right of safe, secure housing.”
Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, said: “Every single person in South Yorkshire should have the right to a safe, secure place to call home. And yet we know that expectation is all too far from reality.
“In the winter months this challenge gets all the more acute. That’s why I’m so pleased to see this emergency funding from the government, so we can help people to access a warm and safe place to sleep.
“The Deputy Prime Minister is right to bring together the full force of the UK Government to end homelessness. In South Yorkshire we will work closely with Angela and Ministers across government to end the scandal of rough sleeping and homelessness.”
Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley councils also received a share of the funding taking the total for South Yorkshire to over £320,000.
The Homelessness Minister, Rushanara Ali, will work directly with mayors and closely with the homelessness sector, leading a new stakeholder group, bringing together experts and listening to frontline voices to build a long-term strategy and ensure support reaches those who need it most.