ST HELENS Council will receive £210,000 from central government to tackle rough sleeping, it has been announced today.

The funds are part of Whitehall’s Rough Sleeping Initiative, which launched in 2018, and will see local authorities share a £112 million pot.

St Helens’ share is more than double than the £100,000 it received in 2019 and is in addition to the £200,000 secured via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last year to develop its outreach services over the next two years.

The government says the funds will be used by councils, charities and other organisations to fund up to 6,000 new bed spaces and 2,500 support staff across the country.

Following the announcement, Labour’s Jeanie Bell, St Helens Council cabinet member for community safety, said: “It’s a tragedy that rough sleeping and homelessness is still present in our society.

“People can lose their homes for all kinds of reasons. It can happen to anyone and when it does it is both dangerous and isolating.

“This funding will allow us to enhance our year-round provision for rough sleepers, expand the team that helps these vulnerable people into safe and suitable accommodation, and sustain tenancies.

“It follows a £200,000 grant from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s homelessness prevention trailblazer late last year, which enabled us to create three homelessness prevention and intervention posts.

“Challenges remain, and there are often complex needs to that we must address before and at the point of crisis, but we are dedicated to reducing rough sleeping and homelessness in the borough together with our community safety partners.”

The Rough Sleeping Initiative is a coordinated effort across housing, addiction support, mental health services and policing.

This year’s funding is a 30 per cent increase on 2019.

The government says the extra funding will help vulnerable rough sleepers get the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “No-one should have to face a night on the street and we have a moral duty to support those who need help the most.

“It is encouraging to see more people getting the support they need, but there is always more to do.

St Helens Star: Cllr Jeanie Bell, St Helens Council cabinet member for community safety Cllr Jeanie Bell, St Helens Council cabinet member for community safety

“We are focusing relentlessly on this issue and our efforts have already led to the first nationwide fall in rough sleeping in a decade – and the areas funded by our Rough Sleeping Initiative have seen rough sleeping numbers fall around a third more than they would be without this vital programme, but we need to go further.

“That is why we are providing this funding so vital work can continue as we set out to end rough sleeping once and for all.”

Today’s announcement comes after the government unveiled a £260 million fund in December for local authorities to support people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes.

The move is part of a pledge from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to eliminate homelessness and rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament.

Following today’s announcement, Homelessness Minister Luke Hall said: “There are people all over the country working tirelessly to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in our society.

“Our Rough Sleeping Initiative is proving to be successful, and this funding will mean this vital work can be continued as we set out to end rough sleeping once and for all.”