Brighton and Hove city council have announced they will be providing extra support this winter to those sleeping rough in the area. This extra accommodation and support is available, thanks to a successful bid for additional government funding.
The council claim the service was up and running within a week of the confirmation of the new funding, and people have already moved in. Referrals to the accommodation are been managed through the city’s street outreach service, managed by CGL. The accommodation is open both day and night throughout the winter, no-matter the weather. They hope this will gives them a better opportunity to work with residents to help them move off the streets into sustainable longer-term accommodation.
The local Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) will be opened when the temperature is predicted to feel like zero degrees Celsius, or there’s a Met Office amber weather warning. This is one of the lowest triggers for opening a SWEP service in the country. Also this week, The city’s ‘No Second Night Out’ (NSNO) accommodation is also planning to re-open this week in new premises. NSNO is managed by the homelessness charity St Mungo’s and will provide a safe place for up to 45 rough sleepers.
Councillor David Gibson, Co-Chair of the Housing Committee, said: “It’s great news that we’re able to offer warm and safe accommodation to help more people stay off the streets through this winter… It’s fantastic that we were able to set up the accommodation and move people in so quickly – thanks to everyone who worked hard to make that happen… the accommodation gives us a better opportunity to work closely with people and offer them support to end their homelessness.”
