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Housing Secretary James Brokenshire awards funding to West Midlands to reduce rough sleeping

Published: Wednesday, 9th May 2018

The West Midlands is set to launch a new pilot to support rough sleepers off the streets and into affordable accommodation, Housing Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has announced today.

The projects will also be in Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region as well as the West Midlands Combined Authority and will offer individuals intensive support to recover from complex health issues, for example substance abuse and mental health difficulties and sustain their tenancies.

The pilot projects will be based on Housing First, an internationally proven approach to supporting rough sleepers into long-term accommodation.

Funding for the Government’s Housing First Pilots was announced at Autumn Budget.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said: “The evidence shows Housing First has an incredible rate of success in providing rough sleepers with the support they need to get off the streets and to rebuild their lives.

“We are investing over £1.2 billion to break the homelessness cycle, but we know there’s more to do to help people off the streets for good. This is why the Government is leading the way in implementing Housing First in England.

“I believe these pilots will have a positive impact in their areas and I look forward to hearing about their successes over the coming months.”

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council commented, “We welcome the announcement of the funding for the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Housing First bid. Birmingham has long recognised the value of the Housing First model which provides a housing solution for the most vulnerable people facing homelessness in our city.

“We are pleased to be leading the development of the bid alongside our local authority partners as part of the WMCA. Delivering a Housing First pilot will be a key element in implementing both the Birmingham City Council Homelessness Prevention Strategy and the Regional Homelessness Taskforce work.”

Jacqui Kennedy, corporate director for place at Birmingham City Council said, “Homelessness prevention and programmes such as Housing First is something we have been working hard towards for many years. The allocation of funding to develop a pilot for Housing First across the West Midlands is a first step towards achieving this. I wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity to learn from the outcomes of the pilot and explore innovative ways to prevent and respond to homelessness.”    

Housing First is a tried and tested approach to tackling long-term rough sleeping that puts the emphasis on finding individuals a secure and affordable home to live in, while providing them with expert support to rebuild their lives.

In Europe, Housing First projects have been successful at ending homelessness for at least 8 out of 10 people in the scheme. This is compared to hostel-based accommodation which has resulted in between 40% and 60% of users with complex needs leaving, or ejected, before their homelessness is resolved.

 

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