Shropshire Council has received a £3.4m Government grant aimed to help rough sleepers gain access to accommodation.
The Single Homeless Accommodation Programme (SHAP) funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC), aims to address gaps in specialised supported accommodation for those with a long history of sleeping rough and with complex needs, by funding accommodation with high levels of support.
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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.”
Working in partnership with housing and support providers, the council 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.
They will also aim to help 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.
Mr Caroll added: “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.
Given the likely support needs of these target groups, supported housing, Housing First and housing-led schemes will be within scope.
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