HART District Council has secured nearly £400,000 worth of central government funding to tackle homelessness.

The funding boost comes after a successful bid to the Department for Communities and Local Governemnt (DCLG) to fund a new national Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer programme.

Hart has worked in partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council during the bid and will now look to work with wider public services to deliver a more targeted approach to prevent homelessness.

The £385,000 boost will aim to deliver holistic support for people who may become homeless or threatened with homelessness.

They say their strategy will involve interventions that extend beyond simply addressing housing related problems, instead ensuring that wider support needs can be identified and met.

The trailblazer will fundamentally change the local assessment process, and work towards the provision of universal prevention services that proactively assist people who may not usually have been considered a ‘priority’ for homelessness support.

The new project will run over the next two years with work to commence implementation and set up starting in the new year, intending to develop a platform that can support other areas who share the Hart and Rushmoor ambition and wish to replicate their own version of the trailblazer in their area.

Phil Turner, head of community services, said: “The bid involved a lot of work across partner agencies including both local authorities and we will need that ongoing partner commitment to make the trailblazer a success.

“We want to develop our local services so that they adopt the principles set out in the Homelessness Reduction Bill and put Hart and Rushmoor ahead of the game. This will be a great benefit to our residents and in the current climate, new money to support homelessness services is very welcome.”

The Trailblazer programme will support the district council in its ongoing ambition to become a nationally recognised ‘Gold Standard’ Housing Service.

Hart is currently just one of a handful of local authorities nationally that has achieved the ‘Silver Standard’ in the government funded Gold Standard Challenge.

Stephen Gorys, Cabinet member for housing, added: “This is fantastic news for the council and for local residents. We are very much looking forward to delivering an effective trailblazer with our colleagues at Rushmoor Borough Council.

“It is a timely notification from government that came just before Christmas and I’d like to congratulate the officers involved in putting the bid together for all their hard work.

“I’d also like to extend my sincere thanks for the support of a range of partner agencies across the statutory and voluntary sectors.

“It demonstrates the Hart commitment to providing the highest possible quality of housing services.”

The news came just days after the district council called on residents and businesses to help tackle homelessness over the winter months.

The council is calling on people to report rough sleepers to its housing services department as temperatures drop and the risks of sleeping rough increase.

While Hart does not have high levels of street homelessness, the council says that when someone is sleeping rough it is important that it is quickly identified and reported to local services where those people can be offered help and support to prevent them having to spend further nights on the street.

Mr Gorys said previously that he was keen to highlight the dangers of sleeping rough.

“Sleeping rough is dangerous and the longer a person is on the streets, the greater the risk of them experiencing issues with their health, developing a drug or alcohol problem or becoming involved in crime.”

The problem is at an all-time high across the nation with a total of 15,170 households classed as homeless in the three months to June 2016, a frightening jump of 10 per cent on the same period in 2015.

Mr Gorys added: “We’re encouraging people to report rough sleepers to us so they we can get them the help that they need.”

To report a rough sleeper, Hart’s housing options team can be contacted at 01252 774420 or for out-of-hours calls, reached at 0300 500 0914. The team can also be reached at [email protected] and more information found at www.streetlink.org.uk.