Rough sleepers are on the rise in Croydon. Pic: Albert Bridge
A £500,000 Government grant has been awarded to Croydon Council to provide homeless people with new housing and medical support before Christmas.
The council is expected to work with local charities, voluntary organizations and housing associations to provide 10 one-bedroom flats and medical assistance for the most vulnerable. These will be long-term rough sleepers whose homelessness was caused by issues such as heavy debt, broken family, long periods with no stable home, high risk of abuse and serious mental and physical health issues.
Without a detailed criterion, the only requirement for vulnerable rough sleepers to receive accommodation is that they maintain their tenancy.
Each homeless people will get a key worker who will help them access a range of supporting services, including psychiatry, drug treatment and training on skills and employability, according to the council.
Croydon Council now is finding suitable flats in the borough and the accommodation provided will be a mix of social housing and private properties.
#Croydon Council and 3rd-sector partners to provide new housing scheme for some of the borough's most vulnerable rough sleepers after being awarded a £500k Government granthttps://t.co/vc17VqZfbu@alisonb4croydon pic.twitter.com/moiCgTMYcP
— Your Croydon (@yourcroydon) June 13, 2018
Councillor Alison Butler, Croydon Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and Gateway services, said: “The idea is to first give our most vulnerable people somewhere to call home, and this allows them to receive help for complex needs that previously could not be sustained by the usual homelessness services we provide.”
“This major funding means the council and its partners can give specialist housing and the support needed to reduce the number of people rough sleeping in Croydon.”
Butler added: “The Government only gives grants of this size if councils demonstrate their schemes can deliver results, so this decision is a real boost for Croydon’s approach to tackling homelessness with our partners.”
The fund is approved by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and a total of 83 grants have been given to local authorities nationwide.
According to the housing and homelessness charity Shelter, Croydon has the 16th highest rate of homelessness in England with 1 in 54 Croydon residents homeless. The other three ELL boroughs, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Lewisham have the 9th, 10th and 12th highest rate of homelessness respectively.
