Skegness and Boston MP welcomes £891k boost to tackle rough sleeping

Boston Borough Council is to receive £575,555 and East Lindsey £316,060 to help get the homeless off the streets and into safe accommodation.

The funding will support vital projects such as night shelters, specialist mental health

or addiction services.

It will fund up to 14,000 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England.

This funding is one part of an unprecedented £750 million investment this year to

tackle homelessness and rough sleeping - part of the Conservative Government’s

drive to end rough sleeping by 2024.

Analysis of the Rough Sleeping Initiative – now in its fourth year – shows that the

programme has reduced rough sleeping by almost a third compared to areas which

have not taken part in the programme.

Building on the past success of the programme, funding has almost doubled this

year and will provide additional support to help those affected by the Covid-19

pandemic.

The Rough Sleeping Initiative was launched in 2018 to help local areas provide

tailored services to those living on the streets.

With this investment, the Conservative Government has now allocated almost £400

million to 281 councils through the programme - which supports coordinated projects

across areas including housing, mental health, addiction support and domestic

abuse.

Funding from previous years of the programme is already having a transformational

effect at a local level with local authorities reporting significant falls in the number of

rough sleepers.

Commenting, Matt Warman said: “I am delighted that Boston Borough Council and to East Lindsey District Council will receive a further £575,555 and £316,060 respectively to tackle rough sleeping in

Boston and Skegness, through the next stage of the Rough Sleeping Initiative.

“This Conservative Government has shown it is absolutely determined to end rough

sleeping, and this funding will do this by providing additional bed spaces and vital

services such as night shelters and addiction support services in Boston and Skegness.

“There is still more to do, and I’ll be working with the council and local organisations to ensure the additional funds are spent locally in the most effective way, to cut rough sleeping as we build back better from the pandemic.”

Commenting, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “No-one should have to sleep rough and we have a duty to support the most vulnerable in our society.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we have made it a priority to protect rough sleepers through our ongoing Everyone In campaign, which has supported more than 26,000 people into long term accommodation so far.

“To build on this progress, we are making the biggest ever investment under the Rough Sleeping Initiative to provide vital services to those who need it most as part of our drive to end rough sleeping for good.”