Three new staff to tackle homelessness across Wolverhampton
Three new council workers have been appointed in an effort to tackle homelessness in Wolverhampton.
The roles have been funded as part of a £138,000 grant awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The scheme is the work of the Rough Sleeping Operational Group, including partners P4, Wolverhampton Homes, St George's Hub, the Referee and Migrant Centre and Good Shepherd Ministry.
Two Outreach workers have been appointed to work with individuals on the street, helping them into accommodation, get treatment and claiming benefits.
An Inreach support worker will work across 20 properties in the city, aiming to help former rough sleepers in their own home, helping to reduce the risk of them losing their accommodation.
Councillor Peter Bilson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, said: “The council continues to actively work with its partner agencies to find longer-term solutions for preventing rough sleeping in the city.
"We particularly focus our efforts on preventing someone from becoming homeless in the first place and work closely with our partner agencies such as P3, Housing Outreach teams and colleagues providing money advice, to find solutions for people threatened with homelessness, and ensure support is available for those who are unable to maintain their tenancy for whatever reason.
"We have also developed a new ‘Rent with Confidence’ framework and approach which gives people information about the standard of and management of the private accommodation they move into and helps the council to identify suitable properties which help to end or prevent individuals' homelessness in the future.
“The extra funding is enabling us to broaden this work and make even more of a real difference to reducing homelessness in the city.”
