---

Dept for Transport Local Government and the Regions

Answer

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans the rough sleepers unit has to improve support and services provided during the day for street homeless people. [22982] Ms Keeble: The RSU has already invested over £2 million from its Special Innovation Fund to put in place education, training and employment schemes around the country that have helped over 2,500 former rough sleepers to make the move to independent living. The RSU has also funded the development of a website showing employment, advice and training resources available for homeless people in London and is working with Business Action on Homelessness and the Employment Service to deliver tailored solutions to help former rough sleepers back into employment. This work is backed up by 23 Tenancy Sustainment Teams (TSTs) in areas across England that give former rough sleepers the help they need to keep their new home and to route former rough sleepers into education, training and employment. The Unit also funds a range of day centres around the country and has developed 10 learning zones linked to hostels and day centres to provide work based training in businesses, to help former rough sleepers back into paid employment. In the future the new Homelessness Directorate of the DTLR will ensure that schemes that rebuild the lives of former rough sleepers will help to sustain the reductions already made in rough sleeping since 1998.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

377 c222-3W; 22982

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Advisory services Homelessness Sleeping rough Rough Sleepers Unit

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk