A new £2.3 million government grant has been given to the council to keep vulnerable rough sleepers off the streets.

In August, Reading Borough Council (RBC) approved plans to build 40 temporary pods for homeless people at the back of Cattle Market Car Park on Great Knollys Street.

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The extra money will pay for vital 24/7 staffing costs needed at the site for the next four years.

It will also fund staffing and support costs until March 2024 at specialist accommodation for 10 vulnerable females, which be provided on a separate council-owned site.

In March, as part of the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was announced that local authorities should house all rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping so that they could socially distance effectively and self-isolate if they needed to do so.

As a result, more than 260 people were placed in B&B/hotel accommodation in Reading.

RBC said housing teams have been working hard to support and protect these individuals, working with partners to make sure that their health and wellbeing needs are met.

The net cost up to June 2020 of accommodation and food was £843k.

Based on the current arrangements, the current year-end pressure is estimated to be £2.760m.

To date, 54 people have been moved out of B&B in to alternative accommodation, which has been achieved through the council working with its voluntary sector partners and private sector landlords.

There are 106 people still currently in B&B accommodation.

RBC said it does not have any statutory obligation to this group under homelessness legislation, however there is an expectation that support and accommodation continues to be provided and it is not financially sustainable to keep them in B&B.

Approximately 39 of the cohort have no recourse to public finds.

RBC said options for this group are limited, and that it is working with local partners to find a sustainable accommodation offer for this group - this includes reconnection where desired and supporting individuals to get settled status to allow them to be eligible for public funds.

The new £2.3 million award for Reading forms part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announcement last week (October 29) and the government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme.

At the height of the first phase of the pandemic in March, more than 260 individuals in Reading were placed in local B&B and hotel accommodation, helping to keep them safe.

Local capacity was available thanks to a previous RBC push to drive down the number of families in B&B accommodation from 130 families in 2017 to zero just 18 months later, resulting in savings of more than £1 million.

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Modular homes being lifted into place in Bolton. Photo by Beccy Lane (PositiveImage)

John Ennis, RBC's lead councillor for Housing, said: "Earlier this year we acted swiftly and decisively to identify rough sleepers, and those at risk of rough sleeping, getting over 260 individuals safely into temporary accommodation at the height of the pandemic.

"This new money now provides us with an opportunity to truly help rough sleepers rebuild their lives with long-term accommodation and the right level of support.

"It is only by providing a safe and secure base, that people can begin to think about turning their lives around.

"Very often individuals will have highly complex needs which require not only a roof over their heads, but wrap around support and tailored services to work with them on a one to one basis and at the pace they need.

"This money will allow the council to do that and we are grateful that the government has now recognised how essential that is.

"We need to remember that our work to tackle the homeless crisis in Reading didn't just begin with Covid.

"Alongside our many partners in Reading, the council has a strong, proactive and early intervention approach to homelessness going back a number of years.

"We are not afraid of looking at innovative solutions, such as the 28 modular units we built at Lowfield Road back in 2017, and the 40 modular units we are now building at Cattle Market, which will be delivered early next year.

"Reading has an essential need for accommodation with support for vulnerable people with high needs and the creation of a support service that meets the needs of vulnerable women is especially welcomed.

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"I'm delighted with this new funding. We can now deliver on our longer term plans to prevent people returning to the streets."

RBC's successful £2.3 million bid is in addition to the £750,000 award announced in September as a temporary contribution to accommodation and support costs for rough sleepers in the town.