A £1.3m funding award to combat homelessness and rough sleeping across Greater Lincolnshire has been welcomed by Spalding councillor and deputy mayor of Lincolnshire Coun Ingrid Sheard.
The money has been given to the Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, while central government has provided £442m nationally in a programme intended to “end rough sleeping” ahead of winter. Coun Sheard said the additional resources could make a significant difference to councils, housing providers and support organisations facing growing demand.
Sheard, who is the district councillor for Spalding Monkshouse and county councillor for the Spalding Elloe wards, said the immediate priority was helping people move from the streets into accommodation. But she warned that accommodation alone would not resolve the reasons people become homeless or remain without a secure home.
Funding welcomed as services face pressure
“Any serious plan to help people who are rough sleeping is a good step forward,” Coun Sheard said. She added that nobody wanted to see rough sleepers in Greater Lincolnshire and described the funding as an important response to pressure on local services.
She said she saw the pressures facing councils, housing providers and support organisations first-hand. The funding, she argued, could provide the extra resources needed to support people experiencing homelessness, particularly as the winter approaches.
She identified getting people off the streets and into accommodation by Christmas as the first step. However, she said the deeper causes of homelessness included a lack of affordable housing, lengthy waits for mental health support and addiction.
“The root causes are what keep them there: no affordable housing, mental health waiting lists, and addiction,” she said.
Call for support beyond accommodation
Coun Sheard said she would continue pressing the government for accommodation and longer-term support. She said sustainable solutions needed to help people rebuild their lives and keep stable housing in the future, rather than simply providing a roof.
She described homelessness as the result of complex and often connected problems. In her view, lasting change would require greater investment in affordable and supported housing, stronger prevention work, and better access to mental health and addiction services.
She also called for action on poverty and financial insecurity. Preventing homelessness before it happens, rather than waiting until someone reaches crisis point, was presented as a central test of any national programme.
“Every person experiencing homelessness has their own circumstances, challenges and aspirations,” she said, arguing that support should be tailored to the individual rather than based on a single model.
Partnership working identified as key
The deputy mayor said effective help should start by understanding each person’s needs and connecting them with the right housing, health, employment and wellbeing services. She said there was no one-size-fits-all solution.
For Greater Lincolnshire, she said she was committed to stronger partnership working between local authorities, health services, housing providers and voluntary organisations. The aim would be to ensure people received support suited to their circumstances.
She said success should not be measured only by the number of people placed in accommodation. It should also be judged by whether individuals could address the issues that contributed to their homelessness and maintain a safe, secure and stable home over the long term.
“So, I’ll be asking government: where are the homes? Where are the treatment places? And how are we stopping? People falling back onto the streets in January?” Coun Sheard said.
She described the period after Christmas as the real test of the response. Her stated priority was proactive action to prevent people returning to the streets, rather than a reactive response once they had reached crisis point.