Council 'successful with £3.4m funding for accommodation to help homeless people'

The Single Homeless Accommodation Programme funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities, aims to address gaps in specialised supported accommodation for those with a long history of sleeping rough and with complex needs

The council says this will be done by funding "accommodation with high levels of support."

Working in partnership with housing and support providers, the council says it will oversee the creation of 42 units of supported housing across three schemes for single people with a history of rough sleeping and longer-term support needs; as well as younger people aged 18-25 at risk of or experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping.

People will stay in this accommodation and receive personalised support until they are ready to take the next step to independent living.

Councillor Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and assets, said: “We are fully committed to preventing homelessness and to tackling rough sleeping in Shropshire, and I am delighted that we have received this funding to help some of our most vulnerable residents.

“Our rough sleepers team works intensively with people who are rough sleeping or have no other accommodation and try to find them more permanent accommodation.

“Securing this £3.4 m funding for the county will help us create much-needed extra accommodation for those being helped off the streets who need significant long-term support before they are ready to live independently and rebuild their lives.

“Not only will this benefit people to move on to more sustainable accommodation, it will also help to reduce the cost reliance on temporary accommodation in less suitable settings, and represents much better value for money for Shropshire and the public purse.”

In August 2023 the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities, in conjunction with Homes England, announced funding available for councils to bid for, which would focus on increasing the supply of high-quality accommodation with accompanying support to address gaps in homelessness pathway provision.

The Single Homeless Accommodation Programme (SHAP) funding is targeted at two groups:

Those with the longest histories of rough sleeping or the most complex needs, to help them recover from rough sleeping and its associated traumas

Vulnerable young people (age 18-25) at risk of or experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping. The focus will be on longer-term accommodation.

The council says that ultimately, the programme aims to help end rough sleeping, including through preventative action with young people who may be most at risk, and facilitating recovery, self-development and independent living within the target groups.