'Significant' £4.6m grant awarded to Portsmouth to help keep rough sleepers off the streets

Portsmouth City Council revealed it has been awarded the sixth highest amount in the country from government to secure ‘move-on’ accommodation for the homeless as well as provide support with housing and finding work.

It comes after the city was awarded £1.5m earlier this year that was in part used to house rough sleepers in a mix of privately rented homes and ex-student accommodation following lockdown - where around 200 people had been temporarily housed in hotels.

Councillor Darren Sanders, the council's housing and preventing homelessness boss, said: 'This is another vote of confidence in the efforts the whole city is making to tackle rough sleeping. We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to offer those sleeping rough now and in the future to give them a home and change their lives. With this cash, the city can start to take that chance.

'We will not give the homeless a roof and leave them there. By offering rough sleepers the support they need, we can help people rebuild their lives, move towards training and work and stay off the streets for good.'

The funding is part of the government's £433m for 6,000 new homes for rough sleepers and other vulnerable people.

Conservative MP for Portsmouth North, Penny Mordaunt, welcomed the commitment. ‘For Portsmouth this means just under £5m of funding to provide homes for the homeless that will help them onto a better path in life,’ she said.

‘Once in their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such as support for mental health or substance abuse problems, so they can rebuild their lives, move towards training and work, and remain off the streets for good.’

However, Labour councillor and city housing activist, Cal Corkery, had concerns about rough sleepers going on to find more permanent homes after the three years. He said: ‘Any funding for homeless people is welcome and definitely needed and this is a significant amount that's been awarded to allow the council to expand on what it is doing.

‘However, my concern is that it's going to be spent on temporary accommodation and I think there's still quite a significant limitation in long-term accommodation available.

‘Most rough sleepers in temporary accommodation aren't eligible for council housing - and that's the fault of government policy not the local councils.’

The £4.6m will be available from March 2021 for three years.

If residents are concerned about someone they think is sleeping rough, they should go to streetlink.org.uk and log the details.

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