No Second Night Out goes nationwide

19 communities get grants to ensure nobody is forced to sleep on the streets for more than one night.

Communities across England are to get up to £250k each to adopt No Second Night Out – an initiative that aims to ensure that anyone who ends up on the streets gets helped quickly so they don’t spend a second night out.

Announced today, the grants are part of an £8m pot being awarded by the Homelessness Transition Fund to 41 projects that aim to help ensure that no one lives on our streets.

The £20m independent Fund was set up to help support the national rough sleeping strategy Vision to end rough sleeping: No Second Night Out nationwide.

Administered by umbrella organisation Homeless Link, the Fund received 193 applications from charities wanting to protect key homelessness services and adopt initiatives like No Second Night Out.

Currently running as a pilot in London, No Second Night Out is a standard the Government would like to see adopted in every area. It involves having services in place so people sleeping rough are quickly identified with the help of the public and provided with accommodation and support.

Welcoming the news, Housing Minister Grant Shapps said:

"When economic times are tough, protecting the most vulnerable in society becomes even more important.

"That's why we have dedicated £8 million to extend No Second Night Out outside the capital and make sure that anyone who finds themselves on the streets quickly gets the help they need.

"A safe, warm place to stay is something that everyone should be able to rely on, so I'm delighted that 19 more areas will each receive this cash boost to help make sure that no-one will need to spend more than one night sleeping rough."

Commenting, Sharon Allen, Chair of the Fund’s Grants Panel said:

“In these difficult times, the funding announced today will help charities provide the vital support that many homeless people need to get back on their feet.”

“The quality of applications and demand for help was extremely high. However, I am pleased that these grants will help protect essential services and develop new, more effective ways to stop people living on our streets."

Charities in the following areas are receiving funding to adopt No Second Night Out:

To see a full list of grants, visit the Transition Fund website.

Case studies are available on request.