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The funding, which has been secured from the Rough Sleeping Initiative Fund, part of the government’s rough sleeping strategy which was published earlier this month.
Cllr Mike Bell, North Somerset Council's deputy leader and executive member for housing, said: “We are delighted our bid for funding was successful and this will make a real difference to people who find themselves sleeping rough.
“We are a council and community that cares about people and we want to make rough sleeping a thing of the past. The causes of rough sleeping are often complex including moments of crisis, trauma and other factors. This money will allow us to work with local partners to continue to deliver services which reduce rough sleeping.”
During the bidding process North Somerset Council listened to people with lived experience of homelessness and rough sleeping, met with local partners, including charities and faith groups, and looked at good practice from other parts of the country.
The bid, which was approved by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has awarded the council £953,309 in total. The funding will enable the council to continue working with YMCA outreach teams to support rough sleepers directly on the streets. It will also help provide a dedicated Rough Sleeper Prevention Officer to work on a one-to-one basis to give specialist support to get people into accommodation as quickly as possible.
Funding will also allow the council to work with registered housing providers to bring forward Housing First and Housing Led accommodation which aims to get people into secure tenancies with extra support where that is needed.
Cllr Bell added: “I am pleased that we have already secured 12 units of accommodation in partnership with Alliance Homes and Curo as part of Housing First and Housing Led initiatives and we will look to do more in future.
“Over the past year we have helped 37 rough sleepers into settled housing and we are committed to continue to offer all rough sleepers a way off the streets and an appropriate move-on plan.
“Homelessness is not just a housing issue and we cannot reduce rough sleeping on our own. Funding allows us to work alongside those who have experienced rough sleeping, organisations who help rough sleepers and the Street 2 Settled partnership members to ensure we have robust interventions in place and long-term pathways to recovery.”
North Somerset’s Street 2 Settled partnership includes a wide support network of many organisations, including: YMCA; Somewhere To Go, the council’s Homelessness Prevention Team; Community Response; Avon and Somerset Police; Churches Together; Citizens Advice Bureau; Keysteps; Sirona health and care; and We Are With You.
If you are concerned about a person sleeping rough, you can complete a StreetLink referral to connect them with local services by phoning 0300 5000 914 or making an online report at www.streetlink.org.uk.