Rochdale borough to benefit from government £100m rough sleeping strategy

Rochdale Borough Council is set to receive £40,000

Rochdale has been named as one of the local authorities that will benefit from the government’s £100m rough sleeping strategy, it was confirmed on Monday (25 March).

After a successful bid, Rochdale Borough Council is set to receive £40,000. A further share will also be forthcoming from a successful £506,817 multi-council bid by several Greater Manchester Combined Authority local authorities (Rochdale, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Stockport and Trafford).

The money forms part of the government’s £100m rough sleeping strategy and will be used to fund rough sleeping coordinator roles, add new or additional outreach services and extend existing or provide new temporary accommodation.

This includes night shelters and hostel spaces. There is also an opportunity to provide housing-led solutions such as Housing First services.

The funding includes £34 million for the 83 rough sleeping areas and an additional £12 million for other areas of the country. Across the north west, it is estimated that the money will provide funding for up to 79 new staff and 306 additional bed spaces.

Greater Manchester is funding provision specifically for vulnerable women and people with both mental ill health and substance misuse needs through specialist outreach.

Ian Jolley, Homelessness Manager at Rochdale Borough Council said: "We have had notification of our successful funding bid that we made to CLG, and through our GMCA partnership with other local authorities we also expect to receive some additional funds.

"We planned a number of initiatives and now we have confirmation of some of the funding, we will be exploring our options and seeing which can now be developed and we will be able to make an announcement in due course."

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said: “The £100m-backed rough sleeping strategy sets out this government’s blueprint for ending rough sleeping for good across the north west and the rest of the country.

“We must keep up the momentum and that’s why we are giving this funding to areas and projects in the that need it, ensuring progress continues to be made and people are given the help they need to turn their lives around.”

The funding is part of the government’s rough sleeping initiative, launched last spring, which is providing over £45 million to councils over the next two years to support rough sleepers in their area off the streets and into secure accommodation where they can get the help they need to rebuild their lives.