£1M new house funding for Test Valley homeless
Lockdown meant the council only provided temporary accommodation to a handful sleeping on the streets
Test Valley Borough Council's (TVBC) been granted almost £1 million to help rough sleepers have a place to call home.
A total of ten properties throughout Test Valley will be purchased (in a partnership with Vivid and Aster) with specialist support provided to tenants by the Two Saints organisation.
ROUGH SLEEPERS: A longer term solution
During the national lockdown in spring last year due to Covid-19, TVBC was able to provide temporary accommodation to the few individuals sleeping on the streets at the time, along with several people who were otherwise living in unsustainable shared housing arrangements.
Now, with these extra properties available through the funding, longer-term housing can be offered.
The grant totals £913,125 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.
COVID PANDEMIC: Impact on provision for rough sleepers
Portfolio holder for housing and environmental health, councillor Phil Bundy, said:
“During the pandemic, we worked exceptionally hard to understand and support those who wanted to come in from the streets, and to work with other people with complex needs who were otherwise unsuitably housed. Securing temporary accommodation was a big step, but this new grant award is a huge milestone and will complement our existing investment in front line services."
“Our thanks go to Vivid, Aster and Two Saints for their work alongside us on this bid, and the effort that will now go in to changing lives for good. We are always committed to doing everything we can to help those who need it. Providing ten further properties in the borough for people at risk of, or who may be experiencing homelessness, helps us as we move closer to our aim to end rough sleeping and provide suitable accommodation solutions for our most vulnerable residents."
“We would ask our residents to notify us if they see anyone who may be sleeping rough, via the national StreetLink service. We work with a network of partner organisations locally to deliver rapid rehousing support for anyone who may be sleeping rough in the area.”
There's more information about StreetLink here: streetlink.org.uk
If you or someone you know is worried about their housing situation, please contact the housing options team as soon as possible on 01264 368000.