Wiltshire Council will help rehouse and vaccinate homeless

A council has secured government funding to help rough sleepers get vaccinated and find accommodation.

Wiltshire Council has been given £150,438 to encourage rough sleepers into permanent accommodation and to promote Covid-19 vaccines and boosters. 

A public health bus will be used to help maximise the uptake of vaccines. 

The council said it is committed to helping the homeless and rough sleepers "365 days a year".

Wiltshire Council cabinet member for housing, Phil Alford told The Local Democracy Reporting Service, the decision will help them keep more people safe from Covid-19.

"We have a committed team who work with the homeless and rough sleepers 365 days a year to provide support and accommodation," he said.

"We welcome this new funding which will strengthen those efforts to ensure everyone has access to the vaccine.

"There are a myriad of reasons why people become rough sleepers."

He said the council's rough sleepers street team will "work with them to find the best solution and a safe place to stay". 

"We will now discuss with partners how we can most effectively spend this new funding to ensure that the work has the greatest positive impact," he added.

The council says that it has already used previously secured grants to help prevent the spread of Covid and get rough sleepers into accommodation.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]