Funding to help homeless in Chichester district

It comes as the council says the number of rough sleepers in the district has reduced from 32 to three.

The cash will go towards staff, rent and deposit payments, and on projects helping people to live independently, the council said.

Councillor Alan Sutton, cabinet member for housing, communications, licensing and events at Chichester District Council said: “During the past 14 months, the amount of rough sleepers in Chichester has reduced from 32 to three and the number of people living in emergency accommodation has also significantly decreased, with many moving into sustainable social and private rented accommodation, which is really positive.

“This success comes as a result of partnership working between our Rough Sleeping Outreach team and other local agencies and charities, such as Stonepillow, Heart, and The Four Streets Project. This partnership has been further strengthened by the pandemic and we are keen to ensure that everything we have achieved during this time continues into the future.

“We have been able to secure this new Government funding thanks to the hard work and commitment we have shown in supporting those who find themselves homeless or rough sleeping. The funding will enable us to continue this important work, helping to support people who find themselves homeless as well as making sure those who are living in temporary housing are supported as they make the move to more settled accommodation.

“It will be used to cover the cost of support staff, initial rent and deposit payments as well as enabling people to make lifestyle changes, including detox, developing skills to make them employable and successfully live independently, and to provide winter bed provision if required. The level of support we are now able to offer is fantastic and is a great success story to have come out of the pandemic.”

This latest grant follows funding secured via the Next Steps Programme last year, which is being used to enable Stonepillow to provide four new bed spaces at the Chichester Hostel. These are expected to be ready for people to use for the first time later this month.

People concerned about someone over the age of 18 who they think is sleeping rough are encouraged to report the details to the national organisation Streetlink. The details are then sent to the council’s Rough Sleeper Outreach workers, who will locate the individual, assess their needs and offer support.