York MP urges city council not to cut homeless charity fund

York Council said it would end its contract with the Salvation Army and use government funding for support services

York council's plan to halt funding for a charity that helps rough sleepers has been criticised by a local MP.

The Labour-run council said it would end its contract with the Salvation Army and instead use government funding for a new approach.

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said homeless people had not been consulted and she would "urge the council to reconsider" its decision.

The council said the new scheme would offer increased specialist support.

The Salvation Army has been supporting rough sleepers in York for 20 years.

Its is funded by the council to provide an advice service and short-term support for homeless people, in addition to its work walking the streets in the mornings to find rough sleepers and help them find accommodation.

The council's contract with the charity will not be renewed when it runs out later this month, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Labour MP Rachael Maskell has urged the council to reconsider its decision

Ms Maskell said she found it hard to understand why "the homeless communities have not been talked to about what they want out of any future service".

"Homeless people should have a voice," she said.

"The Salvation Army provide a unique service in York, in building relationships. It's not a job to them, it's a vocation.

"I find it really sad that they haven't been spoken to."

She said she believed rough sleepers would also be more confident working with an independent charity than a public body, such as the council.

Leader of York Council Claire Douglas, left, with Keira Snaith, manager of Carecent which helps homeless people

The council said it had been awarded £265,854 over the next two years to "support people out of rough sleeping and reduce the risk of a return to living on the streets".

Council leader Claire Douglas said homelessness was a "matter of great concern to a lot of people and it is an issue in our city that we feel is really necessary to tackle and our aim is to put an end to it".

She said she wanted to eliminate homelessness in the city by the end of Labour's first term in administration in May 2027.

Denis Southall, the council's head of housing, said the new "personal" approach the council will take would mean "moving people more rapidly into the private rental sector" and "providing housing for some of the most complex people."

The council said it would provide a drop-in centre and phone line for support, as well as increasing the number of properties available for rough sleepers to stay in.

A Salvation Army spokesperson said the charity would work with the council to ensure the interests of homeless people "are prioritised moving forward".

"Our team have built up relationships with many rough sleepers in the city who turn to the Salvation Army in times of need," they said.

"The Salvation Army has provided an early intervention and outreach service in York city centre for 20 years with a dedicated team carrying out early morning street walks five times a week, as well as a drop-in service for rough sleepers, providing food and drinks, clothing, sleeping bags, signposting to mental health services, medical help, housing, exercise classes and pastoral support."

The charity has also been running pop-up accommodation, called NAPpads, for the past two years in the city.