Half a million to help the homeless in Brighton and Hove

Brighton and Hove has the second largest homeless population in England after Westminster, and at the last count in November last year, there was an estimated 178 rough sleepers on the city's streets.

Brighton and Hove City Council was handed £495,107 by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The cash is set to be spent on:

- a new 17-bed hub focused on moving rough sleepers off the streets

- a new member of staff for a 25-bed winter night shelter provided by churches in the city

- three new posts in the city’s rough sleeper outreach team, tackling intensive case work, helping women sleeping rough and those who are new to rough sleeping

- psychological support services for people who have complex needs and personality disorders

- more accommodation and extra staff recruited to support rough sleepers who have less complex needs

- an occupational therapist working to help expand people’s life skills and readjust to life off the streets.

Cllr Clare Moonan, the council's lead member for rough sleeping, said: “A lot of thought and planning went into our bid, so we will be hitting the ground running on this.

“People who end up sleeping rough often have complex needs and have had to deal with very difficult circumstances in their lives.

“Our focus isn’t just on getting them off the streets – it’s also on making sure they get the services they need to sustain their lives off the streets and not relapse into rough sleeping.

“Around half the city’s rough sleepers are not from Brighton and Hove. So there will also be more support for work helping these people reconnect with the areas they have come from so that they can get the accommodation and services they need.”

If you are a rough sleeper or are aware of someone who is rough sleeping, contact StreetLink online or call 0300 500 0914.

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