New £1.8m scheme for rough sleepers in Greater Manchester

A £1.8m scheme to provide 270 homes for rough sleepers has been announced by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Mr Burnham also promised that anyone sleeping on the streets will get shelter once the temperature falls below zero.

Councils, charities, housing associations and private landlords will receive government cash for the number of people they provide a roof for.

"These measures will save lives this winter," the mayor said.

Housing charity Shelter described the initiative as an "exciting new partnership".

Those providing accommodation will be paid "by results", said a Greater Manchester Combined Authority spokesman.

The scheme will see the new Greater Manchester Homes Partnership work with "entrenched" homeless people who have been on the streets regularly in the past two years or are "well known" to homelessness services.

The combined authority estimates around 200 to 400 people sleep rough in Greater Manchester each year. Figures by the charity Homeless Link put the figure at 189 in 2016.

Mr Burnham said: "As winter draws in, it is vital that the right support is there for people who are sleeping on our streets."

Councils are legally obliged to give emergency support to rough sleepers after three successive nights of sub-zero temperature but in Greater Manchester this will happen after one night of freezing conditions.

Getting people off the streets is hugely complicated: you are never dealing with one problem to solve.

People may have complex problems and issues to deal with. These could involve drug or alcohol abuse, domestic violence, mental health problems or people released from prison with no support.

Some people may find it hard to sleep in a bed after spending a long time on the streets.

While others may feel lonely in a home and miss the relationships they had with others who were sleeping rough.

John Ryan, who runs Shelter's Manchester hub, said the charity was "delighted" to be one of the groups involved.

He added: "It's a fantastic opportunity for us to work collaboratively with others, to reach hundreds of people who are struggling across the city, and we can't wait to get started."

Mr Burnham has already set up a fund aimed to support homelessness schemes.