Bristol receives £2.3m grant to help fight homeless problem

Bristol has received more than £2.3 million funding to increase the supply of high-quality supported accommodation to help people recover from homelessness and reduce rough sleeping in the city.

The grant came from the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP).

The initiative will mean that young people who are at risk of experiencing homelessness, and single adults at risk of rough sleeping, are able to access cost-effective accommodation, rather than unsupported temporary accommodation from a private landlord.

Bristol City Council is working in partnership with Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA) and St Mungo’s to deliver the support across the city.

Tom Renhard, cabinet member for Housing Delivery and Homelessness, said: “The impact of rough sleeping is huge, both physically and mentally, and the SHAP funding will help us to improve peoples’ mental and physical wellbeing.

“Existing supported accommodation is oversubscribed, increasing the use of expensive temporary accommodation. This funding offers an opportunity to increase the supply of high-quality supported accommodation which is needed to help individuals recover from the root causes of homelessness and reduce rough sleeping in Bristol.

“SHAP provides flexibility in how registered providers acquire and deliver homes, which can allow for greater creative delivery of accommodation throughout the city.

“It will support the reduction of rough sleeping in the city and will mean that less people will have to spend time on the streets, or in oversubscribed temporary accommodation.”

The money allocated to ARA will be used to help purchase, refurbish and fully furnish 15 one-bedroom properties across the city. These homes will be used as Housing First properties which means they will provide a stable long-term home for single people who have histories of entrenched or repeat rough sleeping, often with multiple support needs, for whom traditional homelessness approaches have not been successful.

ARA will also receive funding to deliver a high level of wraparound support for each occupant, which will be flexibly tailored to the needs of the client. The funding will cover the costs of this support for three years.

Discussing the partnership, Robbie Thornhill, director of recovery and resettlement at ARA said: “For over 35 years, ARA have been providing hope and better lives for the most vulnerable in society.  We are delighted to be able to extend this further with a Bristol Housing First project and look forward to working with Bristol City Council on providing decent, permanent housing and bespoke wraparound support for those with multiple needs and a history of repeat homelessness.”

The funding awarded to St Mungo’s will pay for the support they provide in the adult homelessness pathway to continue for the next three years. This accommodation-based service works with people with medium to high support needs to build the skills and confidence needed to become independent and go on to manage successful tenancies.

Regional head of St Mungo’s Bristol Services, David Ingerslev, said: “This vital funding is a much-needed financial resource to better enable us to support people who have experienced rough sleeping and help them rebuild their lives within our communities. We need to always be innovating to tackle the rising rates of homelessness and this new approach means we can increase support in smaller, shared accommodation in the city – something we know is critical approach to set people on a successful pathway out of homelessness for good.”

Funding for SHAP comes from the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC), specifically to address gaps in the existing homelessness support.