Homelessness targeted with £1m West Midlands fund

A £1m fund has been announced to tackle homelessness across the West Midlands.

West Midlands mayor Richard Parker said money from the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant (RSPARG) programme would support about 700 people.

The money will help those sleeping rough, at risk of losing their home, or living in temporary and insecure housing.

Sixteen projects are to be funded, including those helping care leavers and women, as well as work with landlords and housing associations to identify tenants at risk of homelessness.

One of the projects to benefit is Move On, which is run by Citizen Housing from The Gateway homeless hostel in Coventry.

During a mayoral visit, Steve, 59, from Coventry, told Parker he arrived at the hostel after being evicted from a shared house.

With support from the service provider, he is now living independently in his own flat.

He is also chairman of Gateway Link, a group of current and former residents who run social activities and use their skills to support one another, from decorating to DIY.

"Before I came to The Gateway, I was in shared accommodation, surrounded by people drinking and taking drugs, and I'd become a product of my environment," he said.

"But now, I've got a far superior support network than I've ever, ever had in my life."

He said helping others had given him "a sense of purpose".

"When I was asked to be the chairman, I thought 'someone believes in me'. Without that shred of belief I would be on the streets, drinking and taking drugs."

Parker said hearing the story underlined how a "safe, secure home underpins everything".

"That's why I'm using this funding to give more people like [Steve] and the others I met at The Gateway the hope they need to get themselves back on their feet," he said.

He said it was also important to have enough safe, affordable homes, and highlighted progress in building 2,000 new social homes.

There are currently 7,000 households in temporary accommodation and the number of people sleeping rough across the West Midlands Combined Authority area remains at about pre-pandemic levels.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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