Mayor announces £5.5m to bring homeless in from the cold this Christmas

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, has made a commitment to see every person sleeping rough in the region offered a roof over their head this Christmas, and support to stay there.

The Mayor said more than £5.5m secured from government would be used to provide accommodation and wraparound support to anyone sleeping on the street who wanted it.

The funding is being handed by the Mayor to the region’s seven local councils as part of a national drive by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to end rough sleeping.

Innovative approaches developed during the pandemic, alongside practical help with housing, health and other needs, will be rolled out to give people the opportunity to build a more stable future. Crucially, this will also help prevent people from reaching the streets in the first place, progressing the region’s ambition to design out homelessness in all its forms.

The most recent annual snapshot found 158 people sleeping rough on a single night in the West Midlands. That’s equal to around 5.1 people per 100,000 of the population - which is lower than the England average of 8.2 per 100,000.

The new funding was announced as the Mayor spent time with Coventry City Council’s Rough Sleepers Outreach Team who are out five mornings a week supporting vulnerable individuals and people sleeping rough across the city.

The Mayor said: “When you hear the stories of people sleeping on the streets you're in no doubt about how quickly homelessness can strip away your health, confidence and opportunities. Its impact can be devastating, but it does not have to define your future.

“This money from the Prime Minister will do more than put a roof over someone’s head this Christmas. It will give people the stability and support they need to rebuild their lives.

“It's on top of the brilliant work already happening across the West Midlands, with councils, charities and others working hard to prevent homelessness and support people at risk.

“We're clear in our ambition to keep working together to make sure no one has to sleep rough before they can get the help they need to turn their life around.”

The new funding will support people like Lucy (not her real name) who is now being supported by Coventry City Council after sleeping on the streets.

Lucy said: “When my husband died everything went downhill. I lost the flat and was sofa surfing and then rough sleeping for a long time. I got into a hole I could get out of. It made me feel rubbish to get to my age and end up on the street. I felt brilliant when I first got help. I felt safe, I got my independence back. I have a lovely room, with everything I need in there. It’s brilliant to have somewhere to go back to at night. Everyone (at the rough sleeper outreach team) is kind, nice and understanding. They help me with everything. I started drinking when I was on the streets and now I’m looking to go into rehab, so will see what the future holds after that.”

Mayor Richard Parker talks to 'Lucy' during his visit to the Coventry Rough Sleeper Outreach Team to hear about the help she's getting to stay off the streets.

Cllr Naeem Akhtar, cabinet member for housing and communities at Coventry City Council, said: “This money will enable us to continue to work with our partners to ensure everyone has a roof over their head in Coventry this Christmas, and the support they need to stay there.

“There are many reasons why people can find themselves sleeping rough and we provide a wide range of services to help them and to find the security and safety they need for their pathway out of rough sleeping and homelessness.

“That is so important for everyone and we are delighted we will be able to help even more people at Christmas and over the winter months. This cash will be a real boost and how we spend it will be a real team effort, helping to continue the good work we do here in Coventry.” 

This latest funding will see the money allocated to all seven metropolitan councils: 

• Birmingham City Council - £2.6m  

• Coventry - £815,000 

• Dudley - £317,000 

• Sandwell - £533,000 

• Solihull - £360,000  

• Walsall - £394,000 

• Wolverhampton - £505,000 

A wide range of support services already are in operation across the region including the WMCA’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Programme which last year used £920,000 to directly help 750 people move away from, or avoid, rough sleeping. 

Street Support Network West Midlands, which connects local people and organisations who are looking to help those most in need, has reached more than 20,000 people, signposting them to information and support.  

Public generosity also remains vital. Since launching eight years ago, the WMCA’s Homelessness Taskforce Change into Action campaign has raised more than £350,000, helping over 2,000 people move away from rough sleeping. 

The money goes to trusted local charities and street teams, paying for targeted support such as essential household items, clothing, wellbeing support, employment help and access to vital services and appointments.

The funding announced today is in addition to the £18m agreed by the WMCA Investment Board this summer to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in Birmingham and Coventry. The two cities were among 40 areas identified as having the highest levels of need as part of a selection process for a government supported housing fund.