Nottingham homes renovation scheme complete to combat homelessness
Research discovered over 1,500 people were sleeping rough in Nottingham in 2022, prompting authorities to create a new housing scheme to get people off the streets.
Nottingham City Council have teamed up with Places for People, a leading UK social enterprise organisation, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Homes England to deliver four self-contained homes to help get people off the streets in the city.
One of the Nottingham homes that is available to get people off the streets.
The properties, which will be managed by Places for People, are fully furnished and occupied by a single adult experiencing homelessness or at risk of it. Each tenant will be able to stay in the homes, which cost £330,000 to renovate, for up to two years.
After two years, tenants will be supported into moving into longer-term accommodation, freeing up the properties for other people at-risk of sleeping rough.
Rachel Crownshaw, group managing director for communities at Places for People, has claimed that within the past year, the organisation have helped over 10,000 people escape homelessness risks and that his new scheme will only excel their efforts.
‘This is going to be such an important service for those in Nottingham who desperately need somewhere safe to live independently,’ Crownshaw said. ‘We’re delighted to see Villa Road open, and I’d like to thank our partners at DLUHC, Homes England and Nottingham City Council for working with us to bring this to life.’
Crownshaw added: ‘People end up rough sleeping for a variety of complex reasons varying from financial trouble, domestic abuse, difficulties with drugs or alcohol, and mental health.
‘That is why this service will be much more than a place to live, we will also be delivering a bespoke plan for everyone living here to help them tackle obstacles or challenges they face and help them access a variety of support services. Through this support, we aim to help everyone who lives here into permanent and independent accommodation and reduce their risk of homelessness again in the future.
‘I’m proud to say that this service is part of our continued support to help people out of and away from homelessness. In the last year, we have helped almost 11,000 people who were homeless or at risk of being homeless across the UK and we are determined to continue to build on this.’
At the beginning of 2023, figures were published by Shelter – the UK’s leading homelessness charity – which showed that on a given night in 2022 there will have been over 1,614 people recorded as homeless in Nottingham, which is a rate of one in 201 people. This is the highest rate of homelessness found in the East Midlands.
Arguably, the completion of this scheme couldn’t have come at a better time. With previous data already showing that homelessness is a major crisis in Nottingham, the continued cost-of-living issues could only have contributed to the problem.
Cllr Jay Hayes, portfolio holder for housing and ward cllr for Bestwood, said: ‘We have maximised every opportunity for grant funding to support the delivery of the city’s Ending Rough Sleeping plan.
‘We are therefore very pleased that Places for People Living Plus will be joining the local partnership and delivering new homes to help meet the wide range of needs of vulnerable people in Nottingham.’
Image: Places for People
Mayor of London pledges to end homelessness under one condition
Over 80,000 households have been threatened with homelessness following law delay
