Council successfully wins bid for £782k to house rough sleepers at Coventry hotel - The Coventry Observer

Council successfully wins bid for £782k to house rough sleepers at Coventry hotel

Coventry Editorial 17th Sep, 2020 Updated: 17th Sep, 2020   0

A SUCCESSFUL bid for an extra £782,000 to provide hotel accommodation for rough sleepers during autumn and winter has been secured by Coventry City Council.

Funding will come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will partly help finance rooms at the Days Hotel on Holyhead Road over the coming months to accommodate dozens of homeless people.

Since the pandemic began in March cash has been targeted to accommodate more than 220 people who would otherwise be sleeping in a night shelter or on the street – 95 people still being accommodated. The council and local agencies have now secured a large number of rooms at the city hotel.

The scheme will see a variety of support put in place at the hotel in the next few days, with plans to the move people onto longer term accommodation as fast as possible.




Coun David Welsh, the council’s housing and communities cabinet member, said: “This is the right step to take particularly as Covid-19 is still affecting all our lives.

“The Days Hotel is already accommodating people who would otherwise be sleeping on the street and we plan to utilise a large number of rooms at the site.


“Our housing and homeless prevention services has been working with partners to ensure a range of support is provided and I’d like to thank everyone involved. The council’s outreach team will have a presence in the building five days a week and there will also be security provided by the hotel.

“There has been a massive effort to support rough sleepers and people who are homeless, and although this is just one part of the strategy, it signifies another decisive step in helping our most vulnerable residents.”

A wide range of organisations across the city are committed to supporting rough sleepers and will be providing a service to rough sleepers accommodated in the hotel.

Coun Welsh added: “The plan will see a gradual reduction in numbers at the hotel in the coming months as people are then moved into more longer term accommodation.

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