More than 130 homelessness charities in England will receive emergency grants to deal with the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
The money comes from the £6m Homelessness Response Fund, which was announced last month. It has been made available by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the grants were managed independently by the umbrella charity Homeless Link.
This funding is drawn from the £750m support package for charities announced in April.
Successful charities
The grants will help provide beds for homeless people in need of a safe space to sleep, as well as specialist help with mental and physical health, according to a government statement.
It will fund specialist staff to work with former rough sleepers, who will provide expert support on substance abuse problems as well as helping homeless people move into training and employment.
Charities receiving grants include Encompass Southwest, the Helping Hands Community Project in Warwick, Stonewall Housing in East London, the Young Women’s Housing Project in Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the Padley Group in Derby.
The one-off grants range in size from £10,000 to £100,000.
‘Hit hard’
Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, said: “Homelessness charities that many vulnerable people rely upon have continued to provide invaluable support, despite being hard hit by the current public health crisis.
“This emergency funding will enable them to keep running their vital services, from specialist support for women, those experiencing domestic violence and young people, to providing hot meals or upskilling people experiencing homelessness, to name just a few.”
Luke Hall MP, minister for homelessness, said: “Nearly 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown period. This money will help charities continue to support these people and ensure they are getting everything they need to prevent them from returning to a life on the streets so they can rebuild their lives once and for all.”
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