PRESS RELEASE : Funding boost for night shelters [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 18 May 2023.

Rough sleepers will be given a safe place to stay and vital support to help turn their lives around, backed by £3.3 million government funding.

Thousands of rough sleepers will be able to access a safe place to stay as the Department for Levelling Up announces a funding boost to the Night Shelter Transformation Fund.

More than £3 million will be available to shelters to provide more beds and life-changing support services.

Shelters can use the funding to continue to offer a vital route off the streets – providing specialist staff, drug or alcohol advice and financial assistance.

This builds on the over £9 million delivered in the first-round which funded 80 organisations over three years, targeting areas most in need.

The second-round cash injection will help more rough sleepers turn their lives around.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Felicity Buchan said:

Night shelters are often the first step for rough sleepers to get off the streets and turn their lives around, providing a safe place to sleep and access to support. Today, I visited Gravesham Sanctuary to see how our Night Shelter Transformation Fund helps organisations provide these services. I’m delighted to announce this £3 million boost to the fund which will be life-changing for rough sleepers up and down the country.

The Night Shelter Transformation Fund is the next step in the government’s commitment to end rough sleeping for good. In 2022, the Department for Levelling Up announced the 3-year £500 million Rough Sleeping Initiative, in addition to £1 billion given to councils over three years to help them prevent and tackle rough sleeping in the areas its most needed.

Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link said:

The Night Shelter Transformation Fund is an incredibly important project enabling homeless organisations to transform the quality of off-the-street accommodation in their local communities.

Being able to offer dignified accommodation makes a huge difference to our members’ work to end rough sleeping and reduce the need for emergency shelters. We are extremely pleased to hear that the government is making additional funding available, ensuring that even more people will be able to benefit from this essential initiative.

It is a pleasure to visit Gravesham Sanctuary’s newly developed property and meet staff and guests, to find out first-hand the impact that the Fund is having and to learn more about how this particular project is run.

Kathy Mohan OBE, CEO of Housing Justice said:

This is a vital funding stream for the network faith and community groups across England. Projects like Gravesham Sanctuary not only provide material support by way of a place to sleep and casework support, but they also provide a crucial element of a person’s journey out of homelessness: community.

We welcome today’s announcement and look forward to supporting night shelter providers to apply for this funding to transform their services and the lives of the people they work with in the coming months.

Carol Webster from Gravesend Sanctuary said:

Night shelters are an important first step for people experiencing homelessness. Our transformed shelter enables guests to stay a few weeks or months until their move into settled accommodation.

We rely on funding to provide guests with the best possible care and services, breaking the cycle of homelessness with life skills.

As a faith-based charity, our ethos is one of welcome and we build strong, non-judgmental relationships with guests from all walks of life. We are passionate about equipping people for a safer, more stable path.

Organisations can access the prospectus and check their eligibility on the government website. The prospectus will be launched in a few weeks.