Published on 28th December 2016
Cheltenham Borough Council and its partners have jointly committed over £300k to charity ‘P3’ for outreach work around Gloucestershire to provide support to rough sleepers.
The budget (£312,000 in total) will fund the team, homelessness options, and continue the severe weather emergency protocol for winter emergency accommodation. This will enable vital work with some of the county’s most vulnerable individuals to continue for at least two more years.
P3 will actively search for people who are new to sleeping on the streets, or who are longer-term rough sleepers with complex needs, and support them into accommodation as quickly as possible.
Cllr Peter Jeffries, cabinet member for housing at Cheltenham Borough Council, says: “Rough sleepers don’t generally stay in one place. They will move from one local authority boundary to another, so I am delighted that a county-wide approach is being taken to support their needs.
“Rough sleepers often have complex issues which are difficult to address, meaning that a multiagency approach is vital if we are serious about reducing rough sleeping across the town and beyond. It is therefore heart-warming to see so many commissioners coming together to support the provision of services that will assist some of our most vulnerable people.
“The funding group would like to thank St Mungo’s for having delivered an excellent service over the last 18 months; and now looks forward to working with P3 on this project.”
Local residents concerned about rough sleepers are encouraged to contact the outreach team by visiting www.streetlink.org.uk, downloading the Streetlink app, or calling 0300 500 0914. This is an extremely quick and effective action that anyone can take to refer a homeless individual to the team, who will then quickly find, verify, and build relationships with the individual, enabling them to access appropriate accommodation, support, and healthcare, and to begin their journey into longer term sustained housing.
For Cheltenham Borough Council media enquiries, contact: Laura Carter, communications officer, telephone 01242 264154, email [email protected]
Notes:
Cheltenham Borough Council has partnered with the other district councils in the county as well as Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner for funding.
The outreach team was previously funded by a central government grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government, which has now finished.
P3 is a charity that also runs homeless assessment centres, young people’s supported accommodation, and community based support around the county.
The current contract with St Mungo’s charity ends on 31 December 2016.
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