More than £800,000 funding for homeless people with complex needs across North Northamptonshire
19 March 2024
Executive members have approved £802,562 funding over the next three years to support the increasing numbers of homeless people with complex needs in North Northamptonshire.
The decision, taken on Thursday at North Northamptonshire Council's Executive meeting, means that a government funded programme of assistance, the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), will provide suitable supported accommodation for rough sleepers with high levels of complex needs. These individuals are often challenging to place in other provisions because of their complexities and/or presenting risks to themselves and others.
The three-year programme provides funding to schemes which will support adults with a long history of cyclical rough sleeping, with the most complex needs, to recover from rough sleeping and its associated traumas.
Funding will be directed to areas where a robust data analysis , carried out by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC), has suggested high levels of need for accommodation and support towards target groups. These are:
- Those with the longest histories of rough sleeping or the most complex needs (including those known to Councils as the Target Priority Group), to help them recover from rough sleeping and its associated traumas.
- Vulnerable young people (age 18-25) who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping.
A service provider will manage the accommodation on behalf of the council and now be procured. It is expected the new contract will start in June/July 2024.
Rough sleeping is the most visible and acute form of homelessness, and many people who sleep rough have experienced trauma, have multiple complex needs, and may have presenting risks.Councillor Mark Rowley, Executive Member for Housing, Communities and Levelling Up
This will enable a provision for individuals who are experiencing multiple exclusion homeless (MEH) and who have often exhausted other viable housing options and are in a revolving door of rough sleeping.
The teams have worked incredibly hard to secure an additional sum of £800k to our authority to also support those rough sleepers with more complex needs.
This is a fantastic achievement and outcome, that will enable us to support and help more rough sleepers, reinforcing the councils commitment to help those most in need.
No one in our society should have to suffer the injustice of living a life on the streets, deprived of shelter, warmth and basic necessities. Rough sleeping can be a vicious cycle, which can perpetuate existing vulnerabilities and health needs.Jason Smithers Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
The delivery of this supported accommodation provision to meet rough sleepers’ needs will hopefully help towards breaking the cycle of repeat rough sleeping.