Hampshire councils bag almost £2m to help shelter homeless residents during coronavirus pandemic

Councils across the Portsmouth area have received almost £2m between them to support the area’s homeless population.

The boost was announced by the minister for rough sleeping and housing, Kelly Tolhurst, this afternoon as part of a regional splash of cash worth £15m.

It comes after authorities across the area were forced to find temporary sites for rough sleepers during the pandemic by using hotels or building their own temporary shelters.

Ms Tolhurst said: ‘This funding will make a real difference to vulnerable peoples’ lives in the south east, continuing to help them address complex needs, and to rebuild their lives, away from the streets in safer interim accommodation.’

The cash has been split between 59 councils across the south east as part of the government’s ‘next steps’ accommodation programme.

Portsmouth City Council is to receive £1,565,427 – one of the largest boosts regionally.

Councillor Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing at the council, was ‘delighted’ by the news.

He said: ‘It’s a stunning vote of confidence in our city’s ambitious plans to help our homeless. No-one gets everything they ask for from the government so the fact our allocation is so close to what we bid for is great news.’

Portsmouth supported 435 homeless people at various points during the pandemic. The authority is awaiting news on two other funding bids to government, which could see the city receiving a further ‘seven-figure’ cash boom.

‘We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tackle rough sleeping for good and I want this city to take it.’ Cllr Sanders added. ‘I hope the government will work with us on this.’

Elsewhere, Havant Borough Council was awarded £137,825 to support its homeless population, while Fareham Borough Council potted £24,900.

Gosport Borough Council bagged £200,000. Councillor Graham Burgess, the council’s housing boss, welcomed the boost and said: ‘We badly needed this money. We have got about 750 people on the housing waiting list. So anything we can do to help the homeless is fantastic.’

The news came as the authority’s housing board last night announced it was winding down part of its ‘housing pod’ scheme.

SEE ALSO: Police arrest man, 28, after £17k cocaine bust in street next to Gosport primary school

The initiative, launched at the start of the pandemic, saw Gosport construct 30 heated cabins to house up to 60 homeless people during the pandemic – at a cost of £14,000 a week.

But during the authority’s latest meeting, council chiefs said they were now shutting six of the pods, as those who had been using them had now been found accommodation elsewhere.

Cllr Burgess added: ‘Gosport Borough Council has gone above and beyond to protect its residents. We have spent an enormous amount of money in providing accommodation for the homeless. So I absolutely welcome this extra money from the government.’

Other councils to benefit from the cash injection from London included Chichester District Council, which will receive £60,508.

Southampton City Council has been awarded £169,147.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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