Over £5 million has been awarded to both BCP Council and BCHA who are working in partnership to provide housing support for local homeless people.

The latest funding announcement forms part of the council’s bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s ‘Next Steps’ programme, which aims to secure longer term settled homes for homeless people who are currently still in emergency accommodation locally.

Cllr Hazel Allen, BCP Council lead member for homelessness, said, “This is great news and will go a long way to helping local people receive the accommodation and support they need to move into independent living and away from the streets.”

Of the available funding, approximately £4 million capital will be used to support proposals for 44 properties before 31 March 2021, some of which will be secured by the council and some by partners at BCHA. The remaining £1 million revenue funding will be used to support people within these homes over the next three years.

The BCP Council element of the allocation involves around £1.6 million in capital funding and £300,000 revenue funding. It follows the £1.8 million in revenue funding that BCP Council was awarded in September 2020 to further support those in emergency accommodation and to help them move on.