Extra funding to support rough sleepers in East Suffolk
East Suffolk Council has been awarded an additional £389,482 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Last updated 11th Feb 2021
East Suffolk Council has secured extra funding to help support rough sleepers in the district.
The £389,482 is in addition to the £93,312 awarded in September 2020 as part of the Government's Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP) to help rough sleepers during the pandemic.
According to the council, the funding will help deliver a scheme that offers a "higher level" of support to those who need it before living independently.
The scheme will help provide housing for former rough sleepers to live for up to two years, while accessing the support they need to keep them off the streets.
As part of the service, the authority is proposing the conversion of a vacant home in Lowestoft into a seven-bed house of multiple occupancy.
It will be delivered in partnership with Orwell Housing, which will lease the property from the council and provide management, care and support for residents.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Richard Kerry, said: "East Suffolk Council is committed to ending homelessness and rough sleeping. We welcome this additional funding from the Government and we will use it to build on all the good work that has taken place during the pandemic to help vulnerable people on the path to a secure life, with a place they can call home.
"We will continue working closely with key partners in our efforts to support rough sleepers and to ensure as few as possible return to the streets by offering long-term, sustainable solutions and support tailored to the individual."
Wendy Evans-Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer at Orwell Housing, said: "We are excited to be able to build on our partnership working with East Suffolk Council and expand our homeless services with this specialist accommodation in Lowestoft.
"Providing people with a safe, secure, and comfortable home along with the right support is at the heart of what we do. Being able to contribute to the Covid-19 response, supporting homeless people to take control of their future and have the greatest chance of being healthy, happy and safe is a good positive outcome from the pandemic."
In response to the pandemic the council placed 38 homeless people in emergency accommodation, 34 of which have now secured permanent offers of accommodation.
The remaining four are still in emergency accommodation until a suitable offer can be made.