Exeter gets major funding boost to tackle homelessness
The UK Government has announced that Exeter City Council will receive £440,000 to help combat homelessness in the city.
The funding is part of the government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP), which aims to provide the financial support needed by local authorities to keep people off the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.
This isn’t just for rough sleeping: it’s for everyone who has lost accommodation during COVID and is an ambitious plan to tackle homelessness in a way not seen before.
The money will enable the council to provide a Private Rented Deposit Scheme to support people accessing private rented accommodation. It will also be used to support people currently accommodated in hotels, as well as to continue to provide accommodation for people who have been housed since the breakout of COVID-19 until March next year.
In response to the government’s announcement on 17 September, Council Leader Phil Bialyk added: “This isn’t just for rough sleeping: it’s for everyone who has lost accommodation during COVID and is an ambitious plan to tackle homelessness in a way not seen before.”
