Preston gets more Government cash to help get rough sleepers off the city's streets

Preston has been given another pot of Government cash to help get rough sleepers off the city’s streets.
Rough sleeping is a problem in Preston city centreRough sleeping is a problem in Preston city centre
Rough sleeping is a problem in Preston city centre

Preston has been given another pot of Government cash to help get rough sleepers off the city’s streets.

The money - £246,881 - is a share of a £46m fund announced by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire to assist local authorities in tackling homelessness and getting people into accommodation. Preston is regarded as one of the UK’s 83 worst areas for rough sleeping. Those 83 are sharing £34m of the cash, with the rest going to up to 200 other authorities including Lancater and Blackpool where the problem is deemed less severe.

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The cash follows a £420,000 grant for the city announced in December for a rough sleeping hub at the Foxton Centre to take pressure off the emergency services.

Director of corporate services, Ally Brown, said: “This funding boost will enable the council in our commitment to the vulnerable people of Preston, helping them work towards a new way of life and tackle rough sleeping.” The grant will be spent on staffing, support and accommodation, with an amount set aside for personalised budgets for individuals.”

Regular surveys carried out in Preston city centre show the scale of the problem.

Last October the Foxton Centre in Avenham was used by 65 people who had been sleeping rough at some point during that month.

Two-thirds of them were men, with the youngest aged 18 and the oldest 73.