News from: Reading Borough Council
The government has given Reading council £945,000 to help people who sleep on the streets. This extra money will help the council to do even more. Reading got this money because it’s one of the places in the country where lots of people sleep rough.
The council already does a lot to help:
-Working with the St Mungo’s charity to help people when the weather gets very hot or very cold
-Paying local groups like The Salvation Army, Reading YMCA and Launchpad Reading to run safe places where people can stay
-Providing over 250 beds for people who need somewhere to sleep.
The council has known about this money for a few weeks, and is making plans with local charities about how to use it. The plans will include:
-Stopping more people from becoming homeless
-Helping people with difficult problems
-Working better with local groups and charities
-Making the town centre safer
-Extra help for families.
The government has also given Reading £107,047 to help families with children who don’t have homes. This money will help families living in temporary housing, especially those in emergency accommodation.