Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Eddie Hughes, visits new homes for former rough sleepers in Greater Manchester.

People experiencing homelessness in Greater Manchester will be provided with a safe home to live in, thanks to investment from Greater Manchester Combined Authority into Resonance’s National Homelessness Property Fund 2 (NHPF2), taking the fund size to over £28 million.

As part of the UK Government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP), this investment, combined with other investors into the fund, will provide around 90 self-contained one-bed properties in Greater Manchester and at the same time, charity and housing partners will provide tenants with specialist support services if needed.

In November 2021, 89 people in Greater Manchester were recorded as sleeping rough and around 600 people were being accommodated by Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night scheme (which provides shelter and personal support on an emergency basis to people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets).[1]

The RSAP initiative means that people who are rough sleeping in Greater Manchester will be given the opportunity to move into safe, decent and affordable one-bedroom and self-contained studio properties as supported move-on accommodation. Tenancies will be provided for 2 – 3 years with support provided to live independently, and help given to enable them to then move on to more settled accommodation.

Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, recently visited two of the refurbished properties in Stockport, and said: “One person sleeping rough on our streets is one too many, and I’m delighted to visit refurbished properties in Manchester which have been part-funded by our Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.

“Once in a place of their own, former rough sleepers are supported here by specialist staff to access the help they need, including support for mental health and substance abuse problems.

“This Government wants to end rough sleeping for good, and through innovative programmes like this we’re on track to ensure no one is forced to spend a night on the streets.”

Daniel Brewer, CEO, at Resonance, said: “We are delighted that Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, has taken the time from his busy schedule to see first hand the quality of the homes we are refurbishing for former rough sleepers in Greater Manchester. The homes will enable them to become part of a community, and receive support from the Housing First team and able to start to move on with their lives.

“We are proud to have launched National Homelessness Property Fund 2 (NHPF2) in Greater Manchester where there is significant need for safe, affordable quality one bedroom properties for individuals who previously didn’t have a place to call home. In addition to the one bedroom properties for the RSAP initiative the fund is also buying properties for others in the region who are in inappropriate and temporary housing, including families with children. The fund is already being rolled out to other parts of the UK.”

The Resonance fund was created to provide a solution to the UK’s housing crisis with many people living in temporary and emergency accommodation and remaining on long waiting lists for social housing options.

• 274,000 people in England are currently homeless, including 126,000 children[2]
• 1.6m people on social housing waiting lists[3]

The fund works by acquiring properties and leasing them to the social housing sector and homelessness charities to provide individuals and families at risk of homelessness with a secure tenancy and settled home. By working with local providers, the fund is able to tackle housing shortages in localised communities and regions, ensuring tenants are provided with the right homes and support for them.

NHPF2 aims to provide 870 homes across the UK for thousands of people during its lifetime. Key to how the fund differs from other leasing models is how it works with established impact-driven charity and ethical housing association partners with a track record for delivering a quality service to people who have experienced rough sleeping and homelessness. Every tenant is either provided with or signposted to specialist support services enabling them to sustain their tenancies and maintain their home, set down community roots, address any addiction, mental or physical health support needs, and re-engage with education or employment.

About National Homelessness Property Fund 2

• This fund has been created to help meet the increasing demand for decent housing, for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• It launched with an initial investment of £20 million in December 2020 and has a target fund size of £50-£100 million.
• The fund has partnered with Let Us, a group of registered housing providers in Greater Manchester.
• The fund initially focuses on purchasing affordable homes in the Greater Manchester region before expanding nationally.
• The fund aims to purchase 800 homes across the UK, and partner with other charity partners.
• The fund refurbishes properties before renting them to its charity and housing association partners which then let them to tenants, whilst also providing them with - or signposting them to - additional support.

Find out more about this fund:

FOR INVESTORS 

FOR CHARITY PARTNERS 

[1] Greater Manchester Combined Authority

[2] Shelter England

[3] National Housing Federation