Portsmouth to splash out £1m on new properties for the homelessÂ

Portsmouth City Council has launched the innovative venture as part of its on-going effort to cut down the number of people living on the streets.

The hope is to find enough new properties on the island that could be purchased and transformed into temporary accommodations for those sleeping rough.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, head of the city council, said the city was determined to do all it could to help the homeless and confirmed the property hunt would begin this month.

The money will come from the council's coffers, from a pot previously used to buy out-of-city commercial properties.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: '˜It's really important we take real action to make sure we reduce homelessness in the city.

'˜We're looking at spending £1m to go out and buy houses in the city for people who are homeless to live in.

'˜While other councils are cutting support for homeless people, we will be doing the opposite.

'˜I hope this will get people off the streets.'

The news has been welcomed by Trevor Pickup, the chief executive of homelessness charity, the Society of St James.

The organisation deals with hundreds of homeless people across Hampshire and dozens in Portsmouth.

Mr Pickup felt the new measure by the city council could help speed up the way homeless people get through the system.

He said it would provide people with '˜stability' while they looked to get back on their feet and find a permanent home.

But he added the situation was still dire in the city.

'˜We're running additional emergency allocation and we see about 45 people a night come in to that,' he said. '˜In spite of all that we have still got people on the streets and we're still unable to meet the need. It's still pretty tough.'

Mr Pickup said the levels of homelessness, both in Portsmouth and nationally, was at its worst in the 25 years he has worked with the charity.

He blamed austerity measures implemented by the government following the recession almost a decade ago.

'˜For the first 15 years [of working at the Society of St James] I saw steady improvement in getting people off the streets,' he said. '˜Then it started to stall about eight or nine years ago when austerity hit.

'˜Since then it's only got worse.'

As previously reported by The News, funding for Portsmouth's rough sleeping plan for the next two years has already been secured.

The strategy will involve other organisations, including charities and health boards, helping to create personal plans for individuals.

It is hoped this will help homeless people to find accommodation as well as dealing with employment, mental or physical health, drugs, alcohol and debt issues.