PM pledges to tackle homelessness in Manchester with £3.2 million fund

In a bid to tackle Manchester’s growing homelessness problem, the Prime Minister has announced a new £3.2 million fund for the city.

Meeting the Labour Mayor Andy Burnham today, Theresa May unveiled plans for an initiative entitled “Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer.”

The scheme will see the city authority working the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to link up services and create a more coherent system for helping people get off the streets.

“This is an important fund which builds on the government’s commitment to tackling homelessness,” she said.

“While our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme is central to our work in this area, this specific fund will increase a more joined up approach to tackling the issue across Greater Manchester and we will work closely together to deliver it.”

The housing charity Shelter has estimated that more than 4,400 people are homeless in Greater Manchester – a 24% increase in just four years.

We have seen a growing inequality which damages us all

Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping across the city region by 2020.

Last week the mayor announced some of the details behind a £1.8 million government-backed bond scheme to provide more accommodation for homeless people.

“Greater Manchester has been fortunate enough to witness some of the fastest economic growth nationally over the past decade, but alongside this we have seen a growing inequality which damages us all,” the mayor has said.