08 January 2021
The Government has made further funding available to help protect people sleeping rough after St Mungo’s, along with other homelessness charities, called for it to take urgent action.
The announcement today (8 January), from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), will see a further £10m provided to help councils to put in place more accommodation for people sleeping rough, and to assist with GP registration to help with access to the vaccine.
Reacting to the additional funding St Mungo’s Chief Executive Steve Douglas CBE said: “We and other homelessness charities urged the Government to provide a crucial and decisive response to support people sleeping rough who now face the double threat of severely cold weather and a continued health emergency.
“We welcome this response and will work with our local authority and health partners to provide both the immediate accommodation and the health care advice that is needed to protect lives.”
The Government said it was asking councils in England to “redouble their efforts to help accommodate all those currently sleeping rough” and “ensure they are swiftly registered with a GP, so they can be protected from the virus and more easily vaccinated in line with the priority groups outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation”.
The new funding follows the announcement of the £15 million ‘Protect Programme’ in November.
This scheme allocated additional money to 10 councils in England which required extra support during the national restrictions and throughout winter to provide accommodation for vulnerable rough sleepers.
