WORK to tackle homelessness across Wirral has been given a boost of almost half a million pounds.

The £494,269, from Government's Next Steps Accommodation Programme, will help Wirral Council and its partners continue to provide accommodation for homeless people housed as part of the "Everybody In" initiative which was launched at the start of the pandemic.

The cash is the fourth largest allocation in the North West, behind only Manchester, Liverpool and Sefton.

Wirral Council's cabinet member for Housing, Cllr Stuart Whittingham, said: "Since the start of the health emergency the council and its partners have made massive efforts to shield some of our most vulnerable residents from coronavirus, with a total of 322 placements into temporary accommodation and 282 placements into more permanent homes.

"This funding allows us to build on that progress and keep more people off the streets while avoiding the use of night shelter accommodation, which can make social distancing extremely difficult for residents.

"It also gives us an opportunity to introduce, on a permanent basis, a new triage and assessment process, which is a key part of Wirral's 'Move On' plan to tackle homelessness in the borough.”

Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Kelly Tolhurst MP, added: "This funding will make a difference to many thousands of vulnerable peoples’ lives, continuing to help them address complex needs, and to rebuild their lives, away from the streets in safer interim accommodation.

"I want to commend the Rough Sleeping Taskforce, council, providers and partners for the support they've provided so far.

"Together, we're providing the support required to end rough sleeping and break the cycle of homelessness once and for all.

Wirral’s funding comes from £91.5m allocated to 274 councils in England to help vulnerable people housed during the pandemic.

Through the Government’s Everyone In programme approximately 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in hotels and other forms of emergency accommodation, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.