As the nights draw in, many of us will pass someone bedded down in a doorway on the Esplanade or in Weymouth town centre.
Too often rough sleeping is treated as a fact of life.
This is a mistake.
It is a complex problem with solutions, and this year we have a real chance to make progress.
This Labour Government has just doubled the funding available to end rough sleeping—committing a further £432 million over the next few years.
That takes overall investment to combat rough sleeping up to £874 million, backing up the Prime Minister’s recent pledge to offer everyone a route off the streets by Christmas.
Crucially, this money does not stay in Whitehall.
This extra funding has been shared with Dorset Council and local charities with a track record of supporting people off the streets.
Here in Weymouth and Portland, that means additional funding or resources for both the Bus Shelter and the Lantern Trust.
Based in Weymouth, the Bus Shelter began in 2016 with a simple idea: turn an old double-decker bus into a safe place to sleep.
It has since grown into a project that is committed to ending rough sleeping locally.
And the Lantern Trust offers services that are focused on addressing mental health challenges, offending behaviour, addiction, and homelessness.
Up in Westminster, I was proud to support this additional funding; and I am full-square behind the Prime Minister’s ambitious pledge to end rough sleeping.
And here in Dorset, I will be pressing to make sure that both the Bus Shelter and Lantern Trust get their fair share of funding.
Let’s put this new funding to good use!
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