SOMERSET is set to receive a £3.6 million share of a £150 million fund to tackle the rough sleeper crisis by providing homes for vulnerable people, it was announced this week.

The national target is for more than 3,300 homes, to be completed by the end of March 2021, providing long-term accommodation for vulnerable people to keep them safe from Covid-19 and help them rebuild their lives.

Welcoming the scheme, local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said: “West Somerset has its share of rough sleepers like any other area but I know from the calls I have been receiving that people are becoming more aware of and concerned about such people and the problems they face. No-one should be left sleeping on the streets or on park benches in the 21st Century and I am glad the Government is prioritising the issue.

“We now have to get on and ensure the money is spent and the new accommodation provided on time.”

Ministers plan to spend £433 million to deliver 6,000 new homes for rough sleepers by the end of this parliament. The money builds on the ‘Everyone In’ campaign launched at the start of the pandemic which has helped to support more than 29,000 vulnerable people, enabling councils to keep rough sleepers safe this winter.