Coventry City Council targeting support to rough sleepers
More help is being provided to support homeless people in the city.
Coventry City Council has received a grant extension to support its Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Treatment (RSDAT) outreach work, supporting people who have complex needs.
The specialist treatment was introduced last year, and the extra funding will allow this to continue and develop until March 2024.
The grant is to support people experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping, to access and engage in drug and alcohol treatment.
The outreach workers will continue to build relations with individuals, which will improve treatment rates over the lifetime of the grant.
Councillor David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said: “This grant is a small step that is helping the work of our outreach team.
“Importantly, specialist workers join regular walks with the Council homelessness team and host regular drop-in sessions at partner locations across the city.
“It’s about providing support to people with extra needs – either on the street or in supported accommodation. We also want to help support people to stay in their existing accommodation, and getting the right support is vital.”
So far, the RSDAT team has engaged with 18 Rough Sleepers and 45 individuals at risk of rough sleeping, including those in temporary accommodation between July and September 2022.
Over 50 of these individuals engaged in some form of structured treatment during this period.