Praise for council over plans for Northampton's rough sleeper homes

The Northampton Borough Council cabinet has voted in favour of buying 30 one-bedroom homes and six shared homes for the homeless.

It is hoped the funding will come from Homes England and MHCLG after the Government announced its plans to invest in 6,000 long-term supported homes for rough sleepers back in May.

The plan for the 30 homes comes after a successful pilot scheme where Northampton Partnership Homes bought 24 ex-council homes in June, which were fomerly sold under the Right To Buy.

Twenty-two of the 24 properties are now occupied by homeless households and others will be for temporary accomodation.

Robin Burgess, CEO at the Hope Centre, which tackles poverty and homelessness in Northampton, said: "We welcome the decision to create one-bed units for people who are homeless.

"These are far better than houses of multiple accommodation.

"Such developments are sadly long overdue but we are pleased this recognition is now there."

The lockdown has led to 90 men and women who were homeless or sleeping rough in our town being housed, fed and supported in two hotels in Northampton.

Everyone who was placed in the hotels received three meals a day, toiletries, fresh clothing, a fortnightly laundry service and access to help to address their drug, alcohol, physical and mental health issues.

Stan Robertson, of Project 16:15, added that the hotels have changed rough sleepers lives for the better and he is thankful some of them will now get a home.

He said: "It's a damn good idea. I'm all for anything and everything that gets people off the streets. It's a shame they could not have done this before a national crisis, though.

"We still get 30 plus on the street and that number is slowly rising. Some of the old faces are back and there is new faces, too. There are more people out of the town centre at the moment. People are living in garages and in cars.

"I would love to wake up in the morning and find out nobody is sleeping on the streets anymore. The guys who stayed in the hotels said it has changed their lives, the whole thing was brilliant."