A charity which supports young homeless people in Blackpool has seen a rise in demand for its services this year and is warning of a funding ‘cliff edge’. Streetlife provides emergency beds and help for young people aged between 16 and 25 at its night shelter in St John’s Square and its day centre in Buchanan Street.
This year it says average occupancy at the night shelter, which has eight bedrooms, has risen to 90 per cent, compared to 75 per cent in previous years. Next year the charity expects the shelter to be full most nights as more and more vulnerable people find themselves on the streets.
Meanwhile it needs to find £240,000 of new funding to replace grants due to end in March. Streetlife spokesperson Kim Hughes said: “Unfortunately there are nights when 12 young people have presented and we only have eight beds.
“We are definitely seeing more young people visiting the day centre, some days there can be 30 plus that attend drop in for a hot meal, practical and emotional support.” It was recently announced Blackpool Council is to receive £2.8m in government funding to tackle homelessness, which is £875,000 more than last year. It includes grants to prevent homelessness, help rough sleepers and fund services such as drug and alcohol treatment.
Kim added: “We are of course please to hear that more money has been allocated to Blackpool to tackle homelessness. This year’s rough sleeping figures were a worrying increase, and we know that Blackpool does experience a higher rate of homelessness than most of the UK, so any money being allocated towards helping vulnerable people within our community is a positive thing.
“There is a cliff edge of funding looming across the whole homelessness sector within the UK as of April next year, as many grant funds that were created following Covid are due to end. We ourselves have £240,000 of grant funds that end in March and given the economic landscape it is proving very difficult to find new pots of money to replenish this.”
The latest figures show the council’s Housing Options team – which offers emergency support for people who lose their homes – supported 300 more households in 2023/24 compared to the previous year. The overall number of households needing help rose to just over 3,300 compared to around 3,000. 341 people are estimated to be homeless in Blackpool this year, including 157 children.
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