Nearly 80 of Northampton's rough sleepers start new life settled housing after stay in hotel during pandemic

A scheme to help Northampton's homeless stay off the streets during the Covid-19 crisis by housing them in hotels has led to nearly 80 people starting a new life in settled housing.

Just days after the lockdown began in March, Northampton's Single Homelessness Forum moved 90 men and women off the streets into two hotels in town to keep a roof over their head during the outbreak.

Since then, more than 140 people have spent at least one night in the hotels - and almost 80 of these have been helped to move on into settled housing.

In a statement today, the chair's forum, Reverend Sue Faulkner, said some of the town's most entrenched rough sleepers have been helped to makde "huge, positive changes".

She said: "I am incredibly proud and impressed by everyone’s efforts and the willingness of organisations to work together to keep rough sleepers safe

and provide each of them with the right solution.

"At the beginning, our priority was to ensure that everyone was safe and indoors. The Travelodge and the Holiday Inn have been wonderful and all

of their staff and managers deserve our thanks for their warm welcome and their willingness to help.

“This ambitious and fast-moving initiative has shown us that homelessness is not inevitable and that we need to keep offering help and support in order that, when people are ready to make the changes in their lives, the support is there for them. It has also shown us that there is hope for everyone even if they are not yet able to see it for themselves.!

It comes as 26 of the rough sleepers are today (July 1) moved into one of the University of Northampton’s halls of residence ahead of the UK's hotels reopening on July 4.

The forum, which was formed in January, includes the borough council, the Hope Centre, the Northampton Association for the Accommodation of the Single Homeless (NAASH).

The forum has also worked with the International Lighthouse CIC to offer help to rough sleepers originally from Eastern Europe.

The next step of the scheme is expected to be funded by a share of a £105m grant by the Government that was announced last week (June 24) to take rough sleepers off the streets.

Reverend Faulkner said: “One of the services I would like to see introduced in Northampton is some form of befriending that can be offered to those who have appreciated the social interaction of being in a hotel but have now moved on to other housing. We do not want anyone to feel lonely and struggle. A befriending service may be something that local faith groups and voluntary organisations can be encouraged to consider.”