£4.4m cash boost to provide long-term homes for rough sleepers in Cornwall

It's so vulnerable people can be kept safe from coronavirus and rebuild their lives

Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 30th Oct 2020

Cornwall is getting £4.4m to provide a permanent place to sleep for rough sleepers.

The council will use the money to help other vulnerable people find safe and long term homes too.

It is part of a big government cash pot, to help keep vulnerable people safe from coronavirus and rebuild their lives.

Cornwall Council will oversee local schemes that provide secure ‘move on’ style accommodation for people at risk of sleeping on the streets.

In total, projects across England will receive more than £150million to deliver more than 3,300 such homes by the end of March 2021, providing long-term accommodation to vulnerable people to keep them safe from coronavirus and rebuild their lives.

The government says it is 'an important step towards' achieving its commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024, alongside investment in new homes for social rent.

The funding is part of the government’s £433million investment to deliver 6,000 new homes for rough sleepers by the end of this Parliament and builds on the widely-praised ‘Everyone In’ campaign launched at the start of the pandemic which has helped to support over 29,000 vulnerable people, enabling councils to keep rough sleepers safe this winter.

This sits alongside the £91.5million in grant funding given to local authorities in September to support vulnerable people and provide short-term accommodation over the coming months, including £568,000 for Cornwall Council.

Also, a £10million Cold Weather Fund will support winter shelters and ensure they are Covid-secure.

“Our ‘Everyone In’ plan is widely considered the most effective action taken by any country in the world to protect those sleeping rough from the pandemic.

“And that work hasn’t stopped - 29,000 rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been supported into safe accommodation since the start of Covid-19.

“The next step in our mission is to ensure they have a more settled home.

“This is why we are providing over £150million, as part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to deliver over 3,000 new long-term homes across England, giving them the stability and security they need to start to rebuild their lives.”

Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick