City to get £500,000 to help get rough sleepers off the streets

THE Government will put more than £500,000 towards helping homeless people off the streets of Bristol.

More than £46 million is being shared between local authorities in a bid to tackle rough sleeping, with Bristol City Council to get £517,773.

The money will be used to continue work which started last year, when the council received almost £600,000 from the same fund.

That helped set up St Anne’s Winter Shelter, in St Anne’s Road, Brislington. It is the city’s first 24-hour homeless shelter, with 30 emergency beds.

Funding will go to Golden Key, a partnership of 19 Bristol organisations, including Second Step housing association, which work together to help people with complex needs.

Money is also going towards more Golden Key accommodation and work to stop prison leavers ending up on the street.

A council spokesperson said: “The money is also being used to run a multi-agency move-on team to work with people to help them to move in to longer-term accommodation.”

The initiative also includes “targeted specialist psychological sup

❝ Councils have received funding to significantly increase the support they are able to offer people now and also those at risk this coming winter

Council spokesman

port for high needs clients”.

“This year’s funding will allow all this work to continue for another 12 months,” the spokesperson said.

“Councils across England with the highest numbers of people sleeping rough have received funding to significantly increase the support they are able to offer people now and also those at risk this coming winter.”

St Anne’s will reopen in October, using £150,000 from the fund to run until next March.

Communities secretary James Brokenshire MP said: “The £100 million-backed Rough Sleeping Strategy sets out this Government’s blueprint for ending rough sleeping for good.

“We are taking the necessary steps to make that happen, already providing 2,600 additional beds and 750 more support staff for the most vulnerable people in our society.

“But we must keep up the momentum and that’s why we are giving this funding to areas and projects that need it, ensuring progress continues to be made and people are given the help they need to turn their lives around.”