The Government has announced Milton Keynes Council will receive £360,000 as part of the national Rough Sleeping Initiative.
The new money is in addition to a targeted £30 million fund to support those sleeping rough and those at risk in 83 local authorities with the highest need.
Over the last few months, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been working closely with local authorities including Milton Keynes Council to identify service gaps and create tailored packages to tackle rough sleeping in their area this year.
Milton Keynes North MP Mark Lancaster said: “This provisional funding is very welcome. We are starting to get a grip of rough sleeping in Milton Keynes, but we need to make sure that continues through the winter months and beyond. We have been working closely with the Homelessness Partnership and we have been regularly discussing the matter with ministers. The government wants to eradicate rough sleeping by 2027 but I am confident, by ensuring we are all working together and attain the funding we need, we can do it much sooner in Milton Keynes.”
Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart added: “Tackling all aspects of homelessness is a big part of our plan for Milton Keynes. Too many people have been sleeping rough over the past few years. This funding, in addition to the recent cross government strategy will allow all relevant stakeholders working in this area, be that a local authority or a charity, to properly address the complex issues that come with rough sleeping.”
The government’s new Rough Sleeping Initiative team will continue to work closely with local areas to implement the plans for this funding and to monitor their progress.
Council Leader, Peter Marland, says, “All funding is welcomed in our fight to end the homelessness crisis created by the 8 years of Tory policies our two local MPs have happily supported. They must think the people of MK are idiots and that homelessness is somehow unconnected to the actions they take as MPs.
Sadly the real story is always in the detail. We are currently receiving a yearly allocation of £360,000 from MHCLG for tackling street homelessness, this announcement means MK Council will get the same again the next financial year, which is positive. However it is money we already receive, so the net gain is zero while demand for our homelessness services continues to rise every year. It is in fact a real terms cut. Year on year funding might be nice for MPs to issue press releases, but doesn’t provide any long term ability to plan our services, not to mention the £150m they’ve already stolen from the MK Council budget since 2010.
I’m proud that in the last 18 months our work in the city has halved the number of rough sleepers and that our Housing First policy is giving hope back to people who have fallen victim to homelessness. Rather than creating a fanfare for cuts, our MPs should be ashamed of their dismal record on homelessness in MK.”
