More vulnerable families will be protected from homelessness this winter, after it was confirmed that Wirral would receive an extra £82,000 of government support.
The funding is on top of the £539,000 Homeless Prevention Grant already allocated to Wirral for 2022-23 year and is part of a £2 billion package of government support to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the next three years.
At Wednesday’s meeting of Wirral’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee, all parties backed calls by Councillors Lesley Rennie and Councillor Ian Lewis for publication of the number of people who are homeless or sleeping rough along with regular reports on how the extra cash is being used to help them.
Councillor Lesley Rennie said: “Throughout the pandemic, with extra cash from the Government, Wirral Council ensured that nobody was living on the streets. Since then, we have received further cash to maintain that work but we have not seen any figures on the number of people being helped or how this money is being used.
“I’m particularly glad that Wirral Council has been given the flexibility to target this latest cash at those who need it most – including people at risk of eviction or supporting families struggling to secure a new home with their search and deposits.”
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Felicity Buchan MP added: “We understand that many people are struggling this winter and we are taking action to protect vulnerable families at risk of homelessness this Christmas.
“The increased support will make a real difference to those most at risk by helping them to pay their rents or find new homes.”
This follows a £200 million Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), which will deliver up to 2,4000 homes by March 2025 for people already experiencing or at risk of experiencing rough sleeping. Details on how local authorities can apply for this funding will be published shortly.
And now, with the temperature dropping to below freezing and will remain this cold for a while, Wirral residents are being urged to help anyone they see sleeping on the streets by using the Streetlink app so they can be connected with local support services.
App store: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/streetlink/id587543230
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.uk.precedent.streetlink&hl=en_GB&gl=US&pli=1