More Government funding to help Wiltshire's rough sleepers this Christmas
Wiltshire Council got the money to support the Alabaré charity
The local authority's received an additional £41,380 towards projects to help the homeless across the county.
It's just three months since they were also given nearly £50,000.
This latest funding will be spent on securing accommodation and purchasing bedding for rough sleepers needing support this winter.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
"This welcome funding will enable Alabaré, our accommodation charity partner, to make adaptations to its accommodation to house more rough sleepers this winter in a COVID-secure way. We will also use the funding to secure B&B accommodation and expand the options of safe accommodation we provide this winter.
"At our last quarterly count, we had 14 rough sleepers in the county, and we have since carried out our annual count, the results of which will be released nationally in the new year. Any number of rough sleepers is too many, but the relatively low number in Wiltshire is testament to the excellent work of our Rough Sleepers Outreach team, who work tirelessly to find suitable routes into accommodation for all rough sleepers in the county.
"Our housing teams have seen an increase in their prevention work by 50% during this pandemic to work with families who are at risk of homelessness and help them to find alternative accommodation. We believe that nobody should be sleeping on the streets in Wiltshire, and everyone should have access to appropriate support and suitable placements to ensure there is a route off the streets - and we are committed to achieving that."
Andrew Lord, Alabaré Chief Executive, said:
"Major steps have been taken in helping rough sleepers through the Covid pandemic, and we welcome this additional funding for Wiltshire to help ensure we can reach those who on the streets who are amongst the most vulnerable in our communities.
"At Alabaré we are very concerned of the long-term effects of Covid and lockdown, and the likely rise in the number of people needing support. We will continue to work with Wiltshire Council and other partner agencies to try and ensure that no-one is homeless this Christmas, and work together to help those in crisis to rebuild their lives."
We can let Wiltshire Council know if we're concerned about someone sleeping rough in the county, by visiting the StreetLink website here.