GRANTS worth £887,000 to tackle homelessness in the borough have been secured by Wirral Council.

A report set to be presented to the council's Environmental Overview and Scrutiny Committee on July 2 says that the authority has managed to secure £887,000 to help tackle rough sleeping and provide a focus on early homelessness intervention and prevention measures.

In 2018, the council’s Housing Options Team, who work with those at risk of homelessness, saw 3,555 households accessing its service.

Current council funding for tackling homelessness includes more than £1m on staffing and temporary accommodation plus £2.9m on services to commissioned to help relieve or prevent homelessness for vulnerable groups.

The council say some of the main reasons for homelessness in Wirral include: an end of private-rented tenancy, domestic abuse and parents being unable to accommodate adult children.

Cllr Stuart Whittingham, cabinet member for Housing and Planning, said: “Ensuring people have a place to stay is fundamental.

"Too often homeless can be a hidden problem – while people may see rough sleepers and the Council and its partners place importance on providing assistance, they account for a small proportion of the thousands of homeless people who need support. For many it’s a hidden problem, with people in hostels, bed and breakfast and even sleeping on sofas of friends or family.

“Homelessness can be caused by many different and often complex issues which require specialist help from a variety of services and we are determined to help those affected by this problem and mitigate as much as possible the causes of homelessness in the first place.”

Recent legislation, the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA), has expanded the definition of homelessness, meaning more people are requesting help and advice from the authority’s specialist team and leading to a 260% increase in the number of households being awarded a ‘legal homeless duty’ in 2018/19 .