BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Council’s ambitious drive to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping has been given a vital funding boost by the government.

The council has been awarded £2.7 million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to continue providing specialist services to stop rough sleeping on the borough’s streets.

The funding, which will deliver a three-year programme, was granted following a successful bid by the council and will help support rough sleeper initiatives such as emergency beds, housing first support, and drug and alcohol outreach.

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Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services Mark Winn, said: “I am delighted that our funding bid has been successful. There is a huge amount of work being carried out in Buckinghamshire to engage with rough sleepers and to secure accommodation and support so they can move off the streets. The £2.7 million will help us to continue and expand this support.

“Virtually eliminating rough sleeping and tackling homelessness in Buckinghamshire is one of the key priorities of this council and our determination to make a difference to people’s lives is reflected in the development of our new county-wide homelessness strategy.”

Buckinghamshire Council is working with a number of local partners, enabling the Government funding to be delivered locally to rough sleepers who require support with mental health issues, drugs and alcohol issues, housing support and maintaining tenancies.

Partners include Aylesbury Homeless Action Group (AHAG), Wycombe Homeless Connection, One YMCA, Bucks Mind, Connections Support, Oasis Partnership, One Recovery Bucks and Oxford Health.

In addition, the council also works on projects focused on rough sleeping with registered housing providers, private landlords and town centre partnerships.

More information on Buckinghamshire Council’s approach to tackling rough sleeping can be found on its website.