Councils welcome funding to protect rough sleepers through winter, but fear it may not be enough
Councils have welcomed new Government funding which will help protect people sleeping rough throughout the winter months.
Last week the Government announced £2.7million in funding which will be split between five areas of the capital.
As lead borough of the South London region, Greenwich council will receive £406,371, which will be shared between the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
A Greenwich council spokeswoman said: “Housing is a fundamental right, and everyone deserves a roof over their head.
“While we know the challenges remain, this is a positive step and we welcome the extra support it will bring this winter.”
The cash injection is aimed at “preventing unnecessary deaths” and the allocation of funds was based on the needs identified in each area, a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokeswoman said.
The money is from a £10million national emergency fund which the Government says will protect rough sleepers by paying for access to a safe and warm bed.
But, some councillors called for further support in the face of “unprecedented demands” on housing services.
Cllr Will Cooper, Lewisham council cabinet member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness said: “We welcome this extra funding to help with the immediate challenges of street homelessness this winter, but there is much more to be done to ensure nobody is sleeping on the streets across Lewisham.”
There are currently 2,900 families and individuals in temporary accommodation in Lewisham and 11,000 households on the council’s housing register waiting for a permanent home.
Cllr Cooper said: “Along with other London boroughs, the housing crisis and 14 years of underfunding by central government has left us with multiple financial challenges, threatening our ability to deliver basic services.
“We will have a clearer picture once the Local Government Finance Settlement is published in December.”
Across London, the number of people sleeping rough in the capital has risen to a new record with a total of 4,780 rough sleepers seen on the streets between July and September, according to the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics released last week.
An MHCLG spokesman said: “This government has inherited devastating levels of rough sleeping, which is why we are providing an additional £233 million of funding next year to help prevent all forms of homelessness – taking total spending on reducing homelessness to nearly £1billion in 2025-26.
“More widely, we will also fix the foundations of local government and have allocated an additional £1.3billion over the next financial year to help councils deliver essential services, alongside other significant investment to ease the pressures they face.”
Pictured top: The number of people sleeping rough in the capital has risen to a new record (Picture: PA)