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Published on Friday 30 October 2020

Over £5 million has been awarded to both BCP Council and BCHA who are working in partnership to provide housing support for local homeless people.

The latest funding announcement forms part of the second element of the council’s bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s ‘Next Steps’ programme, which aims to secure longer term settled homes for homeless people who are currently still in emergency accommodation locally.

Councillor Hazel Allen, BCP Council Lead Member for Homelessness, said:

"We are delighted to hear that the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area has been awarded over £5 million to increase the number of available homes for residents in desperate need of housing. This is great news and will go a long way to helping local people receive the accommodation and support they need to move into independent living and away from the streets.’’

Of the available funding, approximately £4 million capital will be used to support proposals for 44 properties before 31 March 2021, some of which will be secured by the council and some by partners at BCHA. The remaining £1 million revenue funding will be used to support people within these homes over the next 3 years.

Martin Hancock, CEO of BCHA, said:

"This is a significant success for the BCP community to help ensure the government’s "Everybody In" initiative moves to a more permanent long term end to rough sleeping, by providing an affordable safe place to live that someone can call home. We at BCHA are committed to doing what we can to help end homelessness and find a way forward, working with other local charities and BCP Council on the provision of long term solutions for housing, learning and employment for local people."

The BCP Council element of the allocation involves around £1.6 million in capital funding and £300,000 revenue funding. It follows the £1.8 million in revenue funding that BCP Council was awarded in September 2020 to further support those in emergency accommodation and to help them move on.

This work supports part of the Council’s vision in supporting fulfilled lives and the right of everyone to be safe and live independently.

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