Wigan Council Needs £1m To Support Young Homeless

New research suggests Wigan Council needs almost £1m in extra funding to help every young person facing homelessness, reports Wigan Today. Councils are obligated to assess anyone who seeks homelessness support. This means issuing a prevention duty, stopping them from becoming homeless if they are deemed to be at risk, or a relief duty, where […]

Nespresso Commits £1m To Support The Homeless

Nespresso has announced its partnership with Change Please, a social enterprise founded in London in 2015, reports Retail Times. The partnership will see Nespresso support Change Please Foundation with its mission of empowering individuals who are experiencing homelessness through a commitment of £1 Million in its first year. As part of its 2022/23 Impact Report, […]

Whistleblower Reveals ‘Crackpot Tory’ Plan To Criminalise Homelessness

Civil servants tasked with delivering the government’s plans to criminalise homelessness have “low morale” and are tired of “crackpot Tory ideas”, a government insider working on the Criminal Justice Bill has told the Big Issue. The controversial bill is due to replace the Vagrancy Act, which has outlawed rough sleeping and begging for 200 years. […]

Housing LGBTQ+ And Vulnerable Young People

Lambeth Council has received more than £2m in funding, which will go towards providing housing support for young LGBTQ+ residents, reports Inside Housing. The money, granted through the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), covers three years and will support young people who would otherwise be at risk of rough sleeping. It will be split […]

Young Homeless Pushed To The Back Of The Queue For Help

More than 40,000 young people who asked councils for help with homelessness last year weren’t even assessed, according to Centrepoint. The charity’s policy and research manager Dr Tom Kerridge says filling councils’ £300m financial black hole is a ‘drop in the ocean’ compares to the benefits it would bring, reports The Big Issue. Last year […]

From Rock Singer To Homeless Patron

Musician Robert Plant has become Patron of a charity supporting homeless people, reports the BBC. The Led Zeppelin singer signed up with Wolverhampton-based Good Shepherd after inviting it to publicise its work at his concert in the city last year and visiting its headquarters. The star’s contribution includes supporting the creation of two paid trainee […]

Prosecuted For Being Homeless

THERE have been hundreds of prosecutions in Merseyside for begging and rough sleeping over the past five years, reports the Wirral Globe. It comes as the Government faces criticism over parts of the Criminal Justice Bill, which will replace the Georgian-era Vagrancy Act. The new bill could allow police to fine “nuisance” rough sleepers. Homeless charity […]

The High Cost Of Homelessness

Amidst council bankruptcies, local authorities are spending more than ever on temporary accommodation, reports Hollie Wright for New Economics. England’s housing crisis has reached boiling point. Soaring rents are leaving millions vulnerable to ​“no-fault” eviction and homelessness as landlords evict tenants to capitalise off higher market values. Far from providing stability, our housing system has become a […]

Clampdown On Homelessness

Home Secretary James Cleverly is coming under increasing pressure to rethink plans to clamp down on “nuisance” rough sleeping in England and Wales, reports the BBC. The government is expected to make concessions in the coming weeks to try to stave off a backbench rebellion. Dozens of Conservative MPs are thought to oppose the plans. […]

Homeless Café Under Pressure

A cafe set up to help homeless people in Liverpool is feeling the strain the cost of living crisis has put on people’s ability to support it, reports the BBC. The Paper Cup Project’s cafe in Liverpool city centre runs a pay it forward scheme for customers to donate food and drink for rough sleepers. […]