We must act to end homelessness now, says Tony Lloyd

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Leaders have developed plans to end the scandal of rough sleeping across Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester Mayor, Tony Lloyd said; “The levels of homelessness in our city-region are disgraceful. Homelessness is ruining the lives of far too many people in Greater Manchester; we can and will do more to help those who are living on our streets.

“We want to work with [the] Government to make a real difference.  [The] Government knows that we’ve got a proven record of delivering on our promises.

“We have the expertise to make a difference here in Greater Manchester but we need the resources to make our plans a reality.”

Councillor Richard Farnell, GMCA Lead for Planning and Housing, added: “In Greater Manchester we are known for working together effectively. Now, we have the chance to tackle homelessness by working together across our ten local authorities, police, NHS, third sector organisations and other partners, but we also need the Government to work with us and give us the funding to improve the lives of homeless people here in Greater Manchester.”

Greater Manchester has previously been successful in its bid to become a Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) trailblazer area for homelessness prevention. The Homelessness Prevention trailblazer programme gives Greater Manchester the chance to develop a thorough and consistent approach to preventing homelessness in the city-region. However, leaders are determined to go further and bring together the passion and commitment of all partners to prevent homelessness and support people off the streets

The GMCA’s bids for Government funding would be used to:

• Develop emergency hubs with accommodation to support those who have recently started rough sleeping. These will be short-term hubs providing practical advice and support to support individuals back into settled housing.
• Provide longer-term support and accommodation for specific entrenched rough sleepers to allow them to move off the streets.

If successful, the GMCA aims to combine both funding streams with trailblazer programme funding and create an integrated approach to tackle homelessness. The final shape of the programmes will depend on the funding made available.

Greater Manchester’s plans to tackle homelessness have been developed with the support of the NHS, Greater Manchester Police, third sector organisations, as well as all ten Greater Manchester local authorities. The Manchester Homeless Charter Group were involved in the bid preparation and the charity Shelter were also consulted.