Sheffield set for £3m boost to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

Funding has been allocated to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in Sheffield

Sheffield City Council is set to receive more than £3m to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, the government has announced.

It is part of almost £107m being offered to councils across the country to help deliver over 800 homes for rough sleepers, ministers said.

The funding will be used in areas most in need and includes specialist support for the most vulnerable.

Sheffield City Council has been approached for comment.

More than 4,000 people or families applied to Sheffield City Council to be registered as homeless in 2022, according to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC),

That is an increase of 500 applications on the previous year and the highest figure ever recorded by the authority.

The funding given to the local authority includes money for ten properties to be made available to those with a history of rough sleeping, the DLUHC said.

In addition to the £107m, the government is also making £109m available for Homelessness Prevention Grants, which can be used by councils to prevent evictions before they occur or fund temporary accommodation.

A further £6m will be made available to councils to boost the number of off-street spaces for rough sleepers in winter.

The government said between 2022 and 2025 it would have invested a total of £2.4bn in working to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.