Justin Welcomes New Funding To Help Tackle Rough Sleeping

The Government has announced that Swindon is to receive £194,000 to help tackle rough sleeping, news which has been welcomed by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson.

The money forms part of the Rough Sleeping Initiative, a £30 million fund to tackle rough sleeping across the country. It is part of significant plan to reduce rough sleeping, and in July Ministers will be publishing a cross-Government strategy to meet the Government’s manifesto commitment to half rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it by 2027.

Locally, Swindon Borough Council spends £1.4 million a year on a range of schemes to support the town’s homeless including five key supported housing schemes that specialise in street homeless, offenders, young people, and those suffering from domestic abuse.

Over the last few months, expert practitioners have worked closely with local authorities to identify service gaps and create tailored packages to tackle rough sleeping in their area this year. Together they have co-produced bespoke plans to tackle rough sleeping based on local government and the third sector knowledge of what works.

The funding will provide for over 500 new staff across the UK, focused on rough sleeping. These will include outreach workers, specialist mental health and substance misuse workers and dedicated co-ordinators. The money will also provide 1700 new bedspaces – including both emergency and settled accommodation. The new Rough Sleeping Initiative team will work closely with local areas to implement the plans and to monitor their progress.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “This funding will be very beneficial to Swindon, and I am very pleased to see that the Government is following through on its pledge to eliminate rough sleeping within the next 10 years. I am confident that through this investment, and by identifying the service gaps and employing specialists, we can start to see a real difference in Swindon.”