Witney News - Councils agree £738,000 investment to tackle rough sleeping

Councils agree £738,000 investment to tackle rough sleeping

Oxfordshire County Council and six partners have demonstrated their commitment to work as a partnership and tackle rough sleeping by agreeing to invest £738,000, over two years in hostel accommodation for homelessness people in Oxfordshire.

The provision has changed in order to better support people who are homeless and need access to long term accommodation across the county.

The council and its partners have agreed to fund O’Hanlon House for a further two years from April 2020. The 56-bed hostel in Oxford provides housing related support to single people aged between 18 and 65.

Oxfordshire’s six councils and the NHS Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group have committed to working collaboratively to develop a countywide strategy to tackle homelessness.

This will be focused on prevention, early intervention and moving people on from rough sleeping, and the continued investment in O’Hanlon House reflects this partnership approach.

To meet the increasingly complex needs of people who have experienced rough sleeping, O’Hanlon House will offer round the clock support in a safe and supportive environment seven days a week.

As well as providing shelter, O’Hanlon House will work with professionals in housing, health, social care, benefits and probation services to enable people to make positive choices and move towards independent living.

This renewed focus will continue to be provided by Homeless Oxfordshire to meet people’s support needs and in turn promote positivity, inclusion and assist in the prevention and reduction of rough sleeping countywide.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It’s really vital that we make sure that we do our best to support those who are vulnerable and need a safe place to live. It is great to have the expertise and cooperation of the other partners so we can collectively provide the best solutions to those who need our support.”
Cllr Steve Good, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “People can find themselves homeless for wide variety of reasons. We are committed to liaising with them to ensure everyone can have a roof over their heads until their circumstances improve.
“This facility is a major step towards achieving that.”
The partners will implement these changes to reflect how new services are commissioned in the future.