Dover District Council has agreed £10,000 in grant funding to help towards the running costs of the Dover Outreach Centre’s Winter Night Shelter. The Shelter, which is open every night from December to March, is run entirely by volunteers, with safe and secure facilities available for rough sleepers provided in seven local churches.
Cllr Pauline Beresford, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said: “The Winter Night Shelter provides invaluable support for rough sleepers. We’re delighted to support the tireless work of the volunteers who help run the service.
“At the same time, the Council is driving forward its agenda to build more affordable housing. We are committed to the redevelopment of the William Muge and Snelgrove sites in Dover, including 24 social housing apartments, and have an active programme of purchasing former ‘right to buy’ properties as they come onto the market through our property investment strategy.”
Noel Beamish, Chairman of the Trustees at the Dover Outreach Centre, said: “This grant represents a significant contribution to our annual running costs, so we’re delighted to have received such a high level of support from Dover District Council.
“We work together with officers from the Council’s housing team to support rough sleepers at times of crisis, but also to help them on their journey to more stable, permanent accommodation.”
Dover District Council operates a severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) providing emergency accommodation for rough sleepers. The protocol is activated whenever the ‘feels like’ temperature falls below zero on a single night or more. SWEP was triggered on 35 nights during the 2017/18 Winter Night Shelter period.
Dover District Council has also proposed a further £10,000 to support the Winter Night Shelter in 2019/20 in its draft Medium Term Financial Plan to be agreed by full Council at its meeting on 6 March 2019.
Posted on 08 January 2019