Funding award to help rough sleepers this winter
A bid to deliver a physical health outreach project for rough sleepers during the winter months has been awarded funding.
The bid, developed in collaboration with South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT), Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire District and Borough Councils will be funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The service will be delivered by SWFT’s Out of Hospital team, where two dedicated nurses will be recruited to work exclusively with people who are homeless and sleeping rough, using several Warwickshire hostels.
Anne Coyle, Managing Director of SWTF’s Out of Hospital Collaborative said: “This is a wonderful example of strong partnership working to meet the physical health needs of people sleeping rough in Warwickshire over the winter months. We are ready to launch this service in the New Year and Out of Hospital staff are looking forward to working with partners and learning how together we better coordinate services, making positive steps as we work to improve access to services for everyone”.
Councillor Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “We’re delighted to be awarded this funding to develop a physical health outreach service for people who are homeless and find themselves sleeping rough in Warwickshire.We look forward to further developing our approach to tackling and preventing homelessness with our District and Borough colleagues, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust and wider partners.This project will compliment Warwickshire County Council’s mental health outreach service for people sleeping rough, delivered in collaboration with Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust and the P3 charity”.
Physical health remains a big challenge for people who find themselves homeless or sleeping rough on our Warwickshire streets, due to their significant health inequalities.The average age of death for homeless men in the UK is 44 and 42 for women, compared to 76 and 81 years in the general population.
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