It has been announced that Milton Keynes will be receiving nearly £4.5m of Government funding to support rough sleepers into housing.
This is part of the £150 million nationwide investment that will provide 3,300 new long-term homes as part of the Government’s alleged commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024.
It has been said that Milton Keynes is the youth homelessness capital of the UK, with a 2019 report by the MK Community Foundation claiming that 1 in every 117 people in Milton Keynes is homeless.
YMCA MK, whose campus provides accommodation to 200 local young people, partially puts this down to the price of homes in Milton Keynes being 10x the average annual salary which they say makes it "impossible" for local young people to step onto the property ladder.
Aside from house prices, they add that family breakdown and mental health issues are amongst the reasons why people may become homeless.
There are various organisations in Milton Keynes, including the YMCA and The Winter Night Shelter, which provide accommodation and support to those in need.
And last month, Milton Keynes Council was given £500,000 from the Government to ensure that vulnerable people who were housed during the pandemic can say in accommodation this year.
Speaking about the new £4.5 million funding, Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “I have always said getting people off the streets absolutely has to be a priority and even one person on the streets is one too many.
“This money will go a long way into helping rough sleepers into accommodation and give them the best chance in life.”
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Our Everyone In plan is widely considered the most effective action taken by any country in the world to protect those sleeping rough from the pandemic. And that work hasn’t stopped - 29,000 rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been supported into safe accommodation since the start of COVID-19.
“The next step in our mission is to ensure they have a more settled home. Which is why we are providing over £150 million, as part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to deliver over 3,000 new long-term homes across England, giving them the stability and security they need to start to rebuild their lives.”
© MKFM News 2020
