Fears of rough sleeping spike in South Yorkshire if Covid 'safety net' disappears post-pandemic
The government's being urged to keep up extra funding
We're told it's vital there's still a good safety net for those at risk of homelessness in South Yorkshire as we come out of the pandemic.
Charities are worried there's going to be an influx of vulnerable people ending up on the streets when evictions pick up again and are urging the government to make sure services continue to get extra funding that's been available during Covid.
It comes as a report's due out later looking at what lessons can be learned from the Covid-19 response to rough sleeping.
Daryl Bishop from homeless charity Ben's Centre in Sheffield tells us the support in the city during the pandemic has worked really well:
"Now we've learned a really good method I think it'd be a real shame to let that drop. And also, with the eviction ban, at the minute people aren't getting evicted but eventually that will lift and people will find themselves on the streets. So the number of people needing help is going to go up so we need a good foundation to support them.
"We're dealing with a really complex and vulnerable community. And it's not as simple as saying here's some keys, off you go. They need a whole host of support services involved, not only to help them learn how to live in a place but also just to hold their hand and try to introduce them to how they can now live."
During the first lockdown rough sleepers were housed in places like hotels as part of a government scheme called Everyone In.
Daryl says different agencies from across the city worked really well together but they need funding to keep it up after Covid:
"Traditionally it's always been a bit of a circular motion really. We work together, we get somebody in a flat and then a lot of the time the support's not there to keep them there so they just come back into the system. The choice of agencies in Sheffield is really good so if we all work together we can pretty much cover every need.
He has this message for the government:
"I suppose it's about trust. It's about trust in the agencies and the oganisations that already out there, already working with clients. We know how to get the best decisions out of our clients. And if you can support us with funding to do what we do best then we can work with you and make that perfect safety net."