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Support for Chichester's homeless community must improve following Government commitment
MP for Chichester Jess Brown-Fuller used a Government announcement on homelessness to call for greater local support for services such as Stonepillow’s Day Hubs. She stated that programmes focused solely on crisis management do not address the root causes of many of the issues faced by people experiencing homelessness.
On Monday, the Government announced an increase in funding to help get people experiencing homelessness off the streets by Christmas, following one of Andy Burnham’s first pledges as Prime Minister.
Jess highlighted the support offered by Stonepillow through its day hubs, which provide assistance to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. She stated that prevention work is key to breaking the cycle of homelessness and helping people stay off the streets in the long term. Jess called for funding to be directed towards these local services to ensure they can continue to operate and expand in the future.
Afterwards, Jess said:
“Homelessness is a shameful scar on society that should no longer exist. The Prime Minister has made the right noises in trying to address this.
“But, as I made clear earlier this week, support cannot focus solely on getting people into accommodation. Long-term support to help individuals reintegrate into society, tackle issues such as addiction and find employment is vital to addressing homelessness in the long term.
“Chichester is fortunate to benefit from various brilliant charities that provide this support, particularly Stonepillow, whose day centres offer the specialist assistance that is so necessary.”
