£115 million homeless cash needs 'spending wisely'
£115 million earmarked for tackling homelessness and rough-sleeping, needs to be 'spent wisely' according to a South Yorkshire charity.
£115 million earmarked by the government for tackling homelessness and rough-sleeping, needs to be 'spent wisely' according to South Yorkshire charity Emmaus.
The chancellor made the announcement in yesterday's budget that across the UK at least 2,000 places will be created to help rough sleepers leave hostels.
Most of the money will be spent on low-cost "second stage'' accommodation for rough sleepers leaving hostel accommodation and domestic abuse victims and their families moving on from refuges.
This will provide at least 2,000 places to enable independent living for vulnerable households and individuals, freeing up hostels and refuges.
Around £10 million will be spent over two years to support ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, while funding for a rough sleeping Social Impact Bond will be doubled to £10 million.
JJ has been homeless on-and-off for over 30 years. He said:
"£100 million sounds a lot but over how many years and locations? If they're going to invest that much into homelessness, then why not continue funding services that they already have been, that they've now cut funding to? That doesn't make any sense to me."
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JJ wants to see more spent on mental health services:
"Most people understand that giving a homeless person a home, doesn't resolve their homeless issues, and a huge proportion of people that are homeless suffer from mental health issues."
He's now living and working at Emmaus in Sheffield, a community for homeless people in the city.
Graham Bostock is the manager there, and says although the money is welcome, it needs to be spent wisely:
"The benefit system is very difficult to access if you're homeless, the health system is very difficult to access , the job centre. All of these things that most of us take for granted, for homeless people are very difficult.
"If the chancellor and other people are saying we need to end this, then they need to be talking to people like us, who actually do the job"
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