Craig Mackinlay has welcomed new investment from the Conservative Government, spearheaded by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire, to help Thanet support rough sleepers into safe and stable accommodation where they can rebuild their lives.
The Isle is set to receive £213,000 to help vulnerable people get the specialist support they need to keep them off the streets for good. The money for the Rapid Rehousing Pathway will fund innovative local schemes which will help those sleeping rough off the streets for good, as well as specialist support to help them back on their feet.
As part of this, new support workers will act as a single point of contact to help people with complex needs such as substance abuse and mental health problems to get the advice and support they need to turn their lives around. Dedicated letting agents will also be funded to provide advice and housing for those sleeping on the streets.
The funding provided for councils across the UK will total more than £7.2m over the next year, and forms part of the Conservative Government’s £100 million plan to end rough sleeping by 2027. Already we are making progress with the first fall in rough sleeping since 2010, but schemes like this will help us achieve our ambition of being a country in which no-one needs to sleep on the streets.
Craig Mackinlay MP commented:
“No one should ever have to face a night on the streets, and it’s great to see the Government taking steps to ensure that in Thanet people are never faced with this as their only option.
“This new support will mean vulnerable people in my constituency get the specialist support they need to get back on their feet and turn their lives around.
“We are determined to end rough sleeping for good, and this investment takes us another step further to reaching this outcome.”
Today’s announcement follows the publication of the latest annual rough sleeping statistics, which show the number of people sleeping rough across the England has fallen for the first time since 2010.