Royal Borough secures additional funding to support rough sleepers

The Royal Borough’s success at developing and implementing a rough sleeper pathway has resulted in the Council securing £490,000 from the government’s rough sleeping initiative.

The funding will be used to:

· Broaden the reach of the council’s preventing rough sleeping approach
· Provide the necessary intense support required to deliver a successful 3 stage pathway for rough sleepers
· Reduce rough sleeping the Royal Borough
· Share the council’s learning with partner agencies and other local authorities

Research has found that areas which previously received funding have seen a reduction in rough sleeping of up to 32%.

Cllr Ross McWilliams, lead member for housing, communications and youth engagement said: “This funding will enable us to help more vulnerable people off the streets into long term, sustainable accommodation.

“We know all too often that people who are sleeping rough are unable to access the wraparound support they need to move forward with their lives. This funding ensures we can continue to provide the intensive support we know will support people to move away from sleeping rough.”

“I’d like to congratulate the officers from our housing options and rough sleeper team who worked so hard to implement the rough sleeper pathway and secure this additional funding.”

This funding will enable the continuation of the Borough’s comprehensive rough sleeper pathway, which supports people off the street into an assessment centre, provides access to the council’s support services and aims to secure long-term sustainable accommodation.

Anyone sleeping rough in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead can benefit from the support being delivered through the rough sleeper pathway. The service exceeds the council’s statutory Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) duties and includes a commitment to ensure those rough sleeping are accommodated in our stage one provision whilst our experienced outreach team undertake a comprehensive assessment.

The funding secured is available for one year and is part of £112 million Rough Sleeping Initiative funding to help get people off the streets and into accommodation.