Over £1 Million Awarded to Dorset Council to Help End Homelessness
Dorset Council is receiving over £1 million of government funding to help some of the most vulnerable people in the area avoid becoming homeless or living on the streets.
The council put forward two applications for grant funding from the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) earlier this year, to support the expansion of the Bus Shelter Project in Weymouth and the creation of a brand new Complex Women’s unit.
The Bus Shelter Project
The first grant of over £281,000, will help build five self-contained modular homes – also known as ‘pods’ – for people who are ready to live independently at the Bus Shelter, situated on the council’s park and ride site.
The Bus Shelter provides people with somewhere safe to sleep, where they have their own front door and access to a communal living and kitchen area.
Since the charity, the Bus Shelter Project, opened in 2021, it has helped 47 individuals find a safe shelter from the streets.
Complex Women’s Unit
The second grant of over £781,000, will go towards providing much-needed accommodation and services to women who have complex lives and need to be housed in a female-only environment.
Research carried out by Dorset Council, has identified women are sleeping rough in the county who have complex needs. Some of the women were reportedly putting themselves at risk and avoiding sleeping on the streets by sofa surfing in dangerous environments or tolerating abusive relationships.
Cllr Jane Somper, Portfolio Holder for People – Adult Social Care, Health and Housing said:
“We are delighted we have been awarded two grants to support our work to end homelessness in our area.
“This funding will make a huge difference to people in our communities who find themselves in hardship and without a safe space to call home.
“The extra pods in Weymouth will be the stepping stone many people need to move closer to living independently.
“We are excited to be able to start the journey of providing female-only accommodation for women who have not been on our radar before now. Watch this space!”
Dorset Council Cabinet Lead for Housing and Homelessness, Cllr Graham Carr-Jones added:
“We have seen the number of people we have helped avoid homelessness rise by 43 per cent since last year. We’re still working hard to improve this figure, through outreach work and bolstering support services as well as finding sites for more accommodation.
“The council are contributing around £539,000 to purchase accommodation for the Bus Shelter and the Women’s Unit, taking the total investment in the schemes to over £1.6 million.
If anyone is concerned about a loved one who is homeless or is facing homelessness, please email housinghelp@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or call 01305 221000.
Categories: Housing Services
Comments
2 Comments
Well done and I wish the homelessness projects for Weymouth every success. How are you going to control that the contracts to get the accommodations ready are given to reputable and trustworthy contractors. Local contractors should be preferred as long as they are capable, reliable and charge the right price for the job. How many tenders will you be requesting for each job? Please do not waste tax payers money.
Hi Annie, Thanks for your comment and well wishes for the projects. We use a procurement process called a framework, which is where companies who are registered with the council and tend to be local, bid for the work and are awarded the contract to complete the work. This is a legally binding agreement. Due to the specialist nature – and value – of the work of supplying modular homes for people with complex needs, the council will follow an open tender process and companies will have opportunity to bid for this work. We never intend on wasting tax payers’ money. Our teams work very hard to apply for grants from various sources, so we can invest as much as possible into building the right accommodation for our residents.