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Government hands Greater Manchester £3.8m to reduce homelessness
Greater Manchester Combined Authority will be handed nearly £3.8m to develop a strategy for preventing homelessness and reducing rough sleeping, the government has announced.
It is the first devolved homelessness package for a combined authority.
The money will be used to set up new resources for people without a stable home, including 24-hour support services and a “social letting agency approach” across the region’s 10 boroughs.
It comes as Theresa May said “progress was being made” on a housing deal with Greater Manchester to accelerate delivery of new homes.
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“One person living on the street or without a home to call their own is too many. This package supports this government’s aims to transform the way we prevent homelessness and rough sleeping,” said communities secretary Sajid Javid.
“I’m confident that the proposed plan will reach the needs of the city’s most vulnerable people and set a precedent for what other ambitious city regions can do.”
Metro mayor Andy Burnham launched a Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund after his election win in May, promising to eradicate rough sleeping by 2020.
Housing associations in the region have committed to a Housing First programme to support the pledge.
Mr Burnham said: “We very much welcome this announcement by the government. This extra help is well timed, much needed and good news for Greater Manchester.
“It is a recognition of the innovative work underway here to help people sleeping rough, bringing together our public, private and voluntary sectors in a groundbreaking partnership.”
Greater Manchester has previously been given £1.8m as part of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Social Impact Bond to provide support for rough sleepers.
The new homelessness funding package forms part of the Greater Manchester Reform Investment Fund.
It will also include a shared homelessness database system for the region’s local authorities, tailored health services for homeless people and the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network for support service providers.
