Rough Sleepers In North Yorkshire To Be Offered Route Off Streets By Christmas

More than £1 million in funding will be used to offer rough sleepers across North Yorkshire and York a route off the streets before Christmas.

People sleeping rough across North Yorkshire will be offered a route off the streets by Christmas.

Rapid support and accommodation will be provided to those without a home across the region, following the approval of a £1 million action plan.

North Yorkshire Council is set to receive £578,361, while City of York Council will get £484,314 during the first year of the government's Rough Sleeper Programme.

The initial allocation of more than £1 million is part of a proposed three-year funding programme that could total £4.3 million by the 2028/29 financial year, subject to government confirmation.

A Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan, which aims to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in the region, was approved by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority cabinet on November 6 and will be submitted to the government in early December.

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said:

"Not everyone has a safe place to call home, so by Christmas we'll offer everyone a route off the streets.

"With this extra funding we're strengthening the work already happening here, and tackling the root causes that prevent people getting the support they need.

"Working together, we can help some of the most vulnerable people in the county and deliver on our national drive to end homelessness."

The councils plan to use the funding for measures such as rapid support and accommodation for people sleeping rough, alongside support for those most long-term affected and the delivery of longer-term housing.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said:

"Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live, yet preventing homelessness and rough sleeping remains a significant challenge against a backdrop of rising housing costs and a growing number of people with multiple and complex needs.

"We already have strong plans in place to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. We are investing more than £11 million in temporary accommodation to help meet increasing demand and are using funding generated through the second homes council tax premium to deliver a new supported housing scheme for people with a history of rough sleeping who need long-term support.

"This funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will build on that work, helping more people off the streets and into stable accommodation, with the support they need to rebuild their lives."

Councillor Anna Perrett, Executive Member for Housing at City of York Council, said:

"York has a great track record in meeting its commitment to rough sleepers and providing safe routes off the street; no one who wants a place to stay need sleep on our streets.

"This funding will enhance existing support in helping us move rough sleepers in York into the safe and stable accommodation they need. It will be allocated in line with the city and region approach we are developing, which will be presented in a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy action plan to Executive next month.

"We are working closely with partner organisations across the city – including those in health, probation and voluntary and community organisations – to ensure that we continue to offer the best possible solutions to each person sleeping rough in York.

"By working directly with people sleeping rough to meet their individual needs, we can find them suitable accommodation with tailored support, and ultimately a lasting tenancy that helps get them back on their feet."

Rough sleeping has been increasing nationally in recent years. Government statistics estimate that 4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night in autumn last year.

The national Rough Sleeping Programme was announced in August to reinforce the ambition to end rough sleeping.