Homeless shelter scrapped as it loses funding
- 19 Nov
The news comes less than a fortnight after a vulnerable rough sleeper, named this week as William Horgan, was discovered dead on the town's Great Western Beach.An action group was established last year after soup kitchen managers and mental health charity leaders revealed up to six people were dying every winter on the resort's streets.
The town council put aside £2,500 to equip a property that would be managed by an outreach worker from a homeless charity such as St Petroc's. A location had even been chosen - but this week former mayor Andy Hannan confirmed the plan had fallen through due to funding issues.
He said:
I'm disappointed and frustrated that this has fallen flat. What I don't want is any more fatalities. That's what it was all about.
St Columb Minor's vicar Chris McQuillen-Wright, who also worked on the shelter project, said it could only have succeeded with funding for an expert manager:
We are now not going ahead in Newquay because we wanted to work with the voluntary sector and unfortunately the funding is not there.
Mr Hannan raised concerns that Cornwall Council, and its housing arm, Cornwall Housing, had failed to implement an adequate cold weather provision plan.
In the absence of an immediate access shelter in Newquay, vulnerable rough sleepers would be transferred to Truro. But agencies such as the police have raised concerns that provision will also be lacking in Cornwall's capital this winter.
He said he had approached bosses at Cornwall Housing about where he could best channel the £2,500 that had been earmarked for the night shelter project.
A spokeswoman for Cornwall Housing did not comment on funding for the Newquay night shelter but said it had been monitoring temperatures since November 1 and had worked with other agencies on a Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP).
She said:
SWEP is triggered by a weather forecast predicting three or more consecutive nights of a minimum temperature of zero degrees or lower. So far we have not needed to trigger SWEP in Cornwall.
We have been working with partners since the summer with a view to implementing both an ad hoc provision if required by a cold snap as well as a block provision to provide accommodation for periods when adverse weather would normally be expected.
Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1060834
Related articles
- 11 Sep
New service to support homeless people in Birmingham
A new dedicated Homeless Street Triage car will be responding to the rising number of calls reporting homelessness, begging and anti-social drinking in the city, reports 24dash.In the last year –...
- 09 Sep
Gym in Kent hopes to improve health and fitness of homeless people
Riverside is a specialist in working with single homeless people to help them get their lives back on track and into accommodation. Their new project, a gymnasium, has been funded by the Riverside...
- 08 Sep
The cost of homelessness in Hackney doubles
Figures have shown that the cost of homelessness in 2009/10 was £3,092,255 compared to £7,167,440 in 2014/15, with a cut on staff spending from £3,239,653 to £2,608,491 reports 24dash.Hackney...
- 04 Sep
Two homelessness services to be investigated
The Scottish Housing Regulator is set to investigate every aspect of services offered by Dumfries and Galloway Council, whilst also examining how homeless people access help and support at Scottish...
- 03 Sep
Homeless project for young people under threat due to cuts
Platform for Life was expected to attract interest from numerous housing associations with its scheme to convert properties into accommodation for young people in further education, training or work,...
- 01 Sep
Charities warns Irish government of homelessness crisis
Social Justice Ireland is calling for a new funding system that will meet the demand and reveal that only 20 council homes for families have been completed within the first three months of this year,...
- 26 Aug
Newspaper office to become a centre for homeless people
The old office for the Doncaster Free Press is being transformed into flats and other facilities for people who are homeless, reports Hold the Front Page. The building is being turned into...
- 20 Aug
Cuts leaving people in Cheltenham needing homelessness support
Bosses at CCP and Cheltenham Borough Council have said the “devastating impact” of benefit cuts in the town are causing issues for many people, report the Gloucestershire Echo.Over the past few...
- 19 Aug
Concern that homelessness in Cambridge is at ‘tipping point’
Not only do figures show a rise in quarterly numbers by 24 households, they also reveal that over 350 cases were placed in temporary accommodation over the last year, which was a rise of 50 cases on...
- 11 Aug
Charities say Wales is “setting an example” for homelessness
A joint report by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has praised Welsh laws that are trying to address the issues of homelessness, reports the BBC.However they warn that the removal of...
Support Solutions 5th National Housing Support & Social Care Conference 2014 Good organisation from beginning to end. Excellent keynote speaker. Relevant and important topics for discussion which were to everyone's advantage within the supported housing sector. B.H - Stevenage Haven
