£2.5m grant awarded to support rough sleepers in Shropshire

Shropshire Council has been awarded £2.5 million following two successful bids for funding to support rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping. Connexus is part of a multi-agency team working with the Council on this transformative project. 

Connexus join other agencies in working with the Council on this project, with Shropshire Recovery Partnership, the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust and Intuitive Thinking Skills also lending their expertise. 

£1.4m has been allocated to provide substance misuse treatment and support services for rough sleepers and people at risk of rough sleeping. The money is part of the Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant provided by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). The funding will support the county in reducing drug-related deaths, reducing alcohol-related hospital admissions and increasing the number of successful individuals in treatment.

A further £1.1m of grant funding has been allocated to Shropshire Council and its partners to work on reducing the level of rough sleeping in the area. This grant will fund work already being undertaken to address any issues that are preventing rough sleeping from moving into accommodation and finding pathways into accommodation that include support to ensure accommodation is sustained. Connexus is a natural fit to work with the Council on this project, with Connexus' Prevention Support team already working to provide that link between rough sleeping, temporary accommodation and sustained tenancy.