Grant to help homeless in Leeds 'needs doubling'

The £1.2m grant in Leeds will be used to help prevent rough sleeping and get people into safe accommodation

A government grant given to support people sleeping rough needed "doubling" to have a significant impact, the director of a homeless charity has said.

Funding of more than £1m was announced last week to pay for cold weather shelters and to help people get into safe accommodation in Leeds.

It will also fund a project to help rough sleepers with substance misuse problems, with the scheme operated by workers with their own experience of homelessness.

Despite the boost, Becky Joyce, Homeless Street Angels co-founder, said the amount "will not go far enough" to tackle the issue in the city.

"There are more and more people coming onto the streets, the numbers have tripled since last year," she said.

The Homeless Street Angels team monitor the number of people coming to them seeking support for various needs, including mental health, food, and dental care.

"There are still not enough properties to people," she said.

"Half the funding needs to go towards providing enough properties to accommodate those rough sleeping and half needs to go towards helping them rebuild their lives."

Becky Joyce says aftercare support for those who have recently found accommodation required further funding

A council report said the money would be used on areas with "heightened public health and safety concerns".

It included Leeds city centre and south Leeds, it said, where "visible drug use and drug-related activity have escalated".

The report sets out £665,000 worth of grants for projects in the city, with the remaining funds still to be allocated, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Change Grow Live, a charity providing services including housing and substance misuse support, will use part of the grant to recruit four more outreach workers.

The organisation will provide night shelters from December to March, along with daytime shelter for homeless people during cold weather.

The funding, spanning across the 2025-28 financial years, is intended to "bolster existing efforts", according to the report.

Ms Joyce said aftercare support for those who had found accommodation required further funding, along with help for those released from prison.

"There is not enough support to combat everything needed to keep them off the streets," she said.

"I just think they need to consider the full picture - everything needs readdressing."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said "every person deserves a safe place to call home".

"Through our Renters' Rights Act we are accelerating efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions," a government spokesperson said.

"We're also investing £2.9m in homelessness services in Leeds, including the £1.2m uplift announced last month, and expanding access to safe accommodation."

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