Surrey County Council awarded £3 million to support homeless people

The money is from the government's Changing Futures programme

Author: Grace McgachyPublished 31st Aug 2021

Surrey has been awarded nearly £3 million to provide more support for homeless people and vulnerable adults.

The money is from the government's Changing Futures programme and the County Council will use the funding to help people rebuild their lives.

The Changing Futures programme is a £64 million joint initiative by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and The National Lottery Community.

Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health; Cllr Luke Bennett added;

“One of our key priorities is to reduce health inequalities, so that everyone in Surrey can thrive, with no one left behind.

"Alongside Surrey’s prosperity and economic strength, some stark differences in health and wellbeing exist within the county.

“This funding will enable us to further support the most vulnerable in our communities and help them to turn their lives around. Not only will the award help hundreds of people who are already financially struggling, it will also help us to prevent others from running into similar financial difficulty.

I would like to acknowledge and thank our partners on this initiative including; District and Borough Council housing colleagues, the voluntary and community sector, our local NHS partners, Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, the probation service and a range of rehabilitation services”.

A specialist “trauma informed” outreach service is currently being developed in conjunction with vulnerable people, homeless organisations and experts in mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse.

As part of this work, staff and volunteers at Surrey’s homeless charities and organisations will be trained to assist those who have experienced and/or are living with trauma.