Extra funding for City of York Council has been secured to provide more support and accommodation for people who sleep on the streets in our city.
The money, over £400k from the Rough Sleeping Initiative, will be used to try and offer each individual sleeping on the streets the specific support they need, to help them into lasting tenancies.
Cllr Denise Craghill, executive member for housing and safer communities stated:
“We continue to work hard to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place and this includes liaising with landlords, maximising eligible benefits, relationship mediation and helping people find more affordable housing, and work with people with complex needs so we can support them into safer, more stable lives.
“Sleeping rough is an indignity and a danger no-one should endure as life expectancy drops from 83 to 47 years of age on the streets. Besides our usual emergency 18 beds we’ve created 11 extra winter beds. Five are at a council hostel, supported by volunteers from YES Below Zero who last year, supported 18 rough sleepers into private rented accommodation. These are in addition to 101 beds for rough sleepers and single homeless people in our resettlement service.
“We’ve re-secured this funding of £433,141 for 2020-21 – over £30k more than last year – to give rough sleepers more intensive support especially around improving mental health and getting them off the streets. We will also use it to find the right kind of accommodation for single homeless people who are able and ready to take on a tenancy of their own.”
If you want to volunteer to help rough sleepers visit www.york.gov.uk/roughsleeping.
If you see someone sleeping outdoors, please call StreetLink national on 0300 5000 914. They will notify City of York Council so that they can offer help.
