Addiction services for homeless people are set to receive a funding boost, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing Kelly Tolhurst MP has announced.
Forty-three areas across England will receive support from a £23 million government fund designed to improve access to substance misuse treatment. The programme will be boosted by a further £52 million in 2021-2022.
Rough sleepers who are being provided with emergency accommodation during the pandemic as part of the government’s 'Everyone In' programme, and people who are currently rough sleeping, will be eligible for support.
The minister also confirmed an initial £10 million funding for 19 areas, plus the Greater London Authority, under the government’s £15 million 'Protect Programme'. This is to provide accommodation for rough sleepers during the pandemic in areas that required extra support during the restrictions and throughout winter.
Over the past year alone, 61 per cent of those sleeping rough in London said they needed help with addiction problems, with 39 per cent reporting alcohol misuse and a further 39 per cent reporting drug misuse.
The department has also published the initial findings a survey of more than 500 rough sleepers. The findings show that the vast majority (96%) of respondents experienced another support need in addition to sleeping rough, such as physical or mental health vulnerabilities, substance misuse support needs, time spent in prison or having been a victim of domestic abuse or a recent victim of crime, whereas 91 per cent had been affected by two or more of these issues.
