Additional support will be offered to people sleeping rough in Haringey, following an almost £800,000 vital funding boost.

Through Haringey Council and partners Homes for Haringey and St Mungo’s, there will be a range of improved support, including an eight-space “Rough Sleeping Crash Pad” in Tottenham, which will provide immediate emergency accommodation for people directly from the streets. The provisional funding of £439, 836 for the period 2019/2020 is from the Rough Sleeping Initiative Grant. The service, run by St Mungo’s, is staffed 24 hours a day. It provides emergency accommodation for up to three weeks, after which time people will be offered longer-term options.

The second, a Hidden Homeless Outreach Worker also managed by St Mungo’s, will start this month and will involve partners including the Job Centre, schools and colleges. It will support people who may be at risk of rough sleeping due to the instability of their housing situation, such as sofa surfing, staying in inappropriate accommodation or abusive relationships.

There will also be two Outreach Housing Needs Officers, managed by Homes for Haringey. One is based within the substance misuse services in the borough; HAGA (Haringey Advisory Group on Alcohol), The Grove and Haringey Recovery Service. The second is within the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation, to help ensure that nobody is released from prison onto the streets. This service started last month.

It comes after Haringey Council made a successful bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) for funding. The council and its partners have already received £315,023 with a further provisional £439,836 for 2019/2020, taking total potential funding to £754,859.

Councillor Emine Ibrahim, Cabinet Member for Housing & Estate Renewal, said: “Nobody should be sleeping rough in our borough, or in London – it is an issue that we, and the rest of the capital, need to work together to tackle. This vital funding will provide urgent support for those sleeping rough, and people who are at risk of becoming homeless. In Haringey we have a range of support available and these additional projects are a vital addition as winter approaches.”

Christine Eyers, St Mungo’s Regional Head for Haringey, said: “Rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness and the ‘crash pad’ will help us support people quickly away from the streets, especially in the cold weather.

“There are people, however, who we know who are on the brink of rough sleeping and the Hidden Homeless Outreach Worker will help us provide a safety net for someone in that position who may not know where to turn to, and how to seek help. We hope to be able to help many people in Haringey with these additional resources.”