Rother awarded share of £310,000 homelessness grant

The grant has been awarded to Rother District Council to help vulnerable people off the streets

The grant, which was jointly supplied to councils in East Sussex, was provided by the Government in a strategy aimed at ending rough sleeping.

In total, ten councils across the South East were granted £3,396,049 to help up to 1,600 households who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to secure their own home.

A spokesman for Hastings Borough Council confirmed the £310,000 grant will be shared across Hastings, Eastbourne, Rother, Wealden and Lewes councils as partners.

A Rother District Council spokesman said: “We’re pleased to be receiving a share of the £310,000 from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as part of a joint bid with other local housing authorities in East Sussex, which will help us better tackle the rise in rough sleeping seen across the UK in recent years.

“The successful bid has been selected as part of the Government’s national ‘Rapid Rehousing Pathway’. We will use the resources to develop a new initiative which will provide dedicated support workers who will work with rough sleepers and those at high risk of rough sleeping.

“Rough sleepers will be supported to find accommodation as well as better access health and social care services. The initiative will support the council and its partners in the range of measures already underway to ensure that no one is forced to rough sleep in Rother.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Heather Wheeler MP added: “Everyone deserves to have a home to call their own. Yet often, vulnerable people on the brink of becoming homeless will struggle to find the money to get the safe and secure home they need to get back on their feet.

“This money will make a huge difference in opening up the private rented sector to people who need it in the South East and give them the chance to rebuild their lives.

“This is just one part of the wide-ranging work we are doing to help tackle all forms of homelessness, including our Rough Sleeping Strategy as we ensure more homes are made available for those in need.”