Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) has won over £670,000 of funding to support rough sleepers in the area.

The £677,990 funding has been awarded by the department for levelling up, housing and communities as part of their 2022-2025 rough sleeper initiative.

It complements long term funding the council has made available to support the service.

CCC’s chair of the adults and health committee, Cllr Richard Howitt, said: “Combatting rough sleeping is a huge challenge, not simply because of lack of national investment in building affordable homes, but in that many of the people affected experience multiple problems.”

The Cambridgeshire Housing First project, delivered by CCC and developed in partnership with all of the county’s district councils, puts people at the centre of its approach.

It currently supports 37 former rough sleepers experiencing multiple disadvantages, and the new funding will mean it can now provide intensive support so that an additional 27 can benefit from Housing First.

The project currently works with rough sleepers in Cambridge, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough.

Cllr Howitt said: “The Housing First project has already delivered huge benefits to those it has supported, enabling people to begin to rebuild their lives and make positive, sustainable changes.

“The tailored support has helped people to maintain their own tenancy – in some cases for the very first time.

“We are immensely proud to be delivering this service alongside our partners and are delighted with the funding awarded to enable it to continue and expand.”