Stoke Council pledge to end rising homelessness by 2024
The city has seen an increase in rough sleepers by 75%
Stoke-on-Trent Council have pledged to put an end to homelessness in three years.
That's one of the targets from the Council's new Homelessness Charter, designed to tackle a 75% increase in the number of rough sleepers since the pandemic began.
The charter was launched alongside partners from homelessness, housing, voluntary and business sectors to help end rough sleeping in the city.
It comes alongside a Changing Futures programme that will see £4 million given to support vulnerable homeless people get back on their feet.
The charter is the latest part of the plan to help homeless people in the area, with the Council having already:
- Invested £7 million into homelessness services in the last two years
- Setting up three hubs in the north, centre and south of Stoke to provide support for extremely vulnerable homeless people
- Being one of the first areas in the country to vaccinate homeless people against Covid-19
- Helping more than 300 people into long-term accommodation during the pandemic
A city-wide effort
Abi Brown, leader of the City Council, says everyone in the city can do their bit to help homelessness, and calls on members of the public to sign the charter.
She said the Council is "encouraging people to report anybody they see out and about to the rough sleeper team who can go and check on them, to offer support, to signpost relevant services.
"This is a pledge to say we’re going to carry on to do everything we can to eradicate rough sleeping.
"It’s really brought us together to reflect on how we can best eradicate rough sleeping in Stoke-on-Trent and reduce homelessness as well.
"The Homelessness Charter really is something we want everybody to sign up to, not just partners and the city council, but actually residents out there too."