Fareham MP Suella Braverman has welcomed news that Fareham Borough Council will benefit from almost £60,000 of additional funding to support rough sleepers and those most at risk of becoming homeless.
The announcement came from Communities Secretary James Brokenshire who has revealed a nationwide increase in funding of £46 million to combat rough sleeping in 246 local authorities across England, which also forms part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative for 2019/20.
Through the extra round of funding, Fareham will benefit from £59,850 to provide more outreach workers to engage with people on the streets, specialist mental health and substance misuse workers and specialised coordinators to drive efforts to reduce rough sleeping. It will also provide additional bed spaces in emergency, temporary and settled accommodation.
Welcoming the new funding, Suella Braverman MP said:
“I am pleased that the Government is reinforcing its commitment to addressing the problem of rough sleeping through these extra funding measures. Existing evidence from the Rough Sleeping Initiative gives me confidence that an extra £60,000 for Fareham Borough Council will be very important in tackling this problem and delivering real change on the ground.
“I highly commend the support workers who already do an invaluable job in helping rough sleepers and I will continue to speak up for Fareham to ensure it not overlooked when it comes to future funding allocations.”
The initiative has shown promise across the areas in which it is most active, with annual statistics showing a 19% decrease in the number of rough sleepers across 83 areas in England.
