Buckinghamshire Council has announced that it has been awarded funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to tackle rough sleeping in the area.
The funding, amounting to £2.7 million, will cover five schemes up until March 2025 and will support rough sleeper initiatives. These include emergency beds, housing support, as well as drug and alcohol outreach.
Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services, Mark Winn, said:
“I am delighted that our funding bid has been successful. There is a huge amount of work being carried out in Buckinghamshire to engage with rough sleepers and to secure accommodation and support so they can move off the streets. The £2.7 million will help us to continue and expand this support.
“Virtually eliminating rough sleeping and tackling homelessness in Buckinghamshire is one of the key priorities off this council and our determination to make a difference to people’s lives is reflected in the development of our new county-wide homelessness strategy.”
A number of partners will be working alongside Buckinghamshire Council to deliver government-funded support with mental health issues, drug and alcohol issues, housing support and maintaining tenancies. These partners include Aylesbury Homeless Action Group, Wycombe Homeless Connection, One YMCA, Bucks Mind, Connections Support, Oasis Partnership, One Recovery Bucks, and Oxford Health.
The council will also be working alongside registered housing providers, private landlords and town centre partnerships.
