Council handed £2.5m to tackle homelessness in Brighton and Hove

The money was secured through government funds to introduce new ways of working to prevent homelessness.

Councillor Claire Moonan, lead member for homelessness and rough sleeping, said: “Brighton and Hove is a city with an acute housing crisis, and homelessness is an increasing pressure. We’ve worked hard to secure this extra funding to increase our homelessness work and it’s a reflection of the good reputation we have for innovative approaches in this area that we were able to draw the money to the city.

“Our vision is to work with partners across housing, social care, health, probation, and education as well as the voluntary sector to make sure all residents of our city to have access to a ‘Housing Action Plan’, to timely advice and information, and the earliest possible interventions to prevent small issues becoming bigger problems and housing crises.

“Through increasing intervention work, our aim is to reduce statutory and non-statutory homelessness and use of temporary accommodation. Setting up a plan for each household will avoid duplication and help services in the city become more efficient, and residents will have their expectations and goals clearly identified early on.

“A main thrust of this work is to identify the early triggers that can result in people becoming homeless and to work with them to build resilience and enable them to plan for any changes that would otherwise tip them into homelessness.”

The funding, announced before Christmas, includes: £1.3 million for homelessness prevention work; £350,000 to support rough sleepers with substance misuse and mental health needs; and up to £1 million to work in partnership with neighbouring councils on a project to help long-term rough sleepers into sustainable accommodation and tackle issues with substance misuse, mental health services and work and learning.

This winter, the council is working with local homelessness charities on a ‘make change count’ campaign to raise awareness of how to help people living rough on the streets.

To donate to the local homeless charities behind the campaign, visit: www.localgiving.com/appeal/makechangecount