Gloucestershire councils have been awarded £2.9 million in the latest round of the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI).
The funding was awarded to the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership, made up of the six district councils, the county council, the Integrated Care Board and Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Since 2017, the partnership has received funding through the RSI scheme to support those who are rough sleeping, to find sustainable accommodation and support.
The scheme has supported a reduction in rough sleeping in the county over the past five years.
The funding supports a range of services that address the factors which lead to rough sleeping: ranging from help to access immediate accommodation and longer-term housing, to assistance around mental health, addictions problems and other common challenges.
An example of the type of service provided are the county’s dedicated outreach teams who aim to build relationships, and encourage those sleeping rough into accommodation and to focus on any issues such as mental health.
The countywide ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay Hubs’, are another key part of the help on offer, providing advice and assistance to people to help them access supported accommodation and other services.
Ruth Saunders, co-chair of Gloucestershire’s Strategic Housing Partnership, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our bid for further funding through the Rough Sleeping Initiative. This is testament to the strength of our partnership working in Gloucestershire, and the huge amount of work done by both our own staff and partners over the past five years. However, we know there is more to do, and we are committed to continuing this work to ensure that no-one needs to sleep rough in Gloucestershire”.
Members of the public can contact Streetlink if they see anyone sleeping rough so can that outreach teams can offer them support. They should report the location, time and a detailed description of the person on 0300 500 0914 or via the StreetLink app or website, www.streetlink.org.uk