Andy Burnham joins forces with Metro Mayors to call for extension of ‘Housing First’ homeless scheme
The Mayor of Greater Manchester is calling on the government to extend funding for the Housing First pilots to ensure people don’t risk returning to rough sleeping.
Andy Burnham has joined forces with fellow Metro Mayors to help end rough sleeping by calling for an extension of the Housing First scheme.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, alongside Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram and West Midlands’ Mayor Andy Street, say they all share the same ambition to end rough sleeping and believe the local Housing First pilots have been making a significant contribution.
Housing First is a system that prioritises access to stable accommodation over the requirement for an individual to address any other support needs they have.
Figures provided by the Mayors show that 96% of those who benefited from the scheme had come straight off the streets, and 25% were before they were 18 years old.
The three pilot schemes have worked with 1,245 individuals – 812 of which have been housed in secure tenancies (with an 87% tenancy sustainment rate).
🏡 Today Andy is joining with @LCRMayor and @MayorWestMids to call for an extension of the Government's Housing First pilot scheme, which is making a real difference in tackling homelessness.
— Mayor of Greater Manchester (@MayorofGM) July 28, 2021
It’s believed that there are an estimated 1,018 people across the pilot programmes who will need support when the funding ends.
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Calling on the government to extend the pilot scheme, Andy Burnham said: “When I first took office, Greater Manchester was struggling to cope with a growing homelessness crisis [but] since then, a range of local policies I’ve introduced, and national policies have helped turn this around – and Housing First is one of them.
“The success of our pilots speaks for themselves and that’s why I want the government to extend funding for the existing programmes and then provide sustainable funding to roll it out as a national policy as we work together to achieve our ambition to end rough sleeping.”
Steve Rotherham, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, added: “There has been an alarming rise in homelessness over the past decade, as austerity stripped away many of the safety nets that some relied on.
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“Through these Housing First pilots, we have collectively shown that there is a better, more humane way of treating people.”
Andy Burnham is calling on the government to extend funding for the Housing First pilots / Credit: Sky News
Alongside the Metro Mayors’ calls ahead of a stakeholder event being held today with more than 200 delegates from across the pilot areas and Housing and Rough Sleeping Minister, Eddie Hughes MP, a meeting of the cross-party All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing First last week also backed calls for an extension of the pilots.
As well as providing a home, Housing First supports individuals with health issues and disabilities.
Featured Image – CentrePoint
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Police confirm man was arrested ‘on suspicion of making an explosive device’ in Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
Police have confirmed that the man who was detained in the midst of an incident in the Gay Village yesterday was arrested on suspicion of making an ‘explosive device’.
A huge cordon was in place in the Canal Street area in the city centre on Monday 11 May, after members of the public reported a ‘chemical smell’ coming from a hotel at around 10.45am.
Emergency services attended the scene and found chemical substances in a hotel room.
The man, who was believed to be the occupant of the hotel room, was detained at the scene.
Greater Manchester Police have since confirmed that he was ‘detained on suspicion of making an explosive device’ and was taken into custody for questioning.
In an update shared yesterday, they wrote: “The response to the incident on Canal Street in Manchester city centre is being reduced following reports of chemical substances being found.
“Emergency services examined items within a room inside a hotel following calls from the public at about 10:45am.
“A man, believed to be the occupant of the room, was detained on suspicion of making an explosive device and is currently in custody being questioned.
“Chemical substances found in the room have been examined and are in the process of being safely removed. The subsequent examination ruled out any explosive risk.
“We are working with the hotel management to return the establishment to normal after staff and guests were evacuated as a precaution.
“Staff from the fire service’s Hazardous Materials and Environmental Protection team remain in attendance to conduct tests and ensure the area is safe.
“We would like to thank the public and surrounding businesses for their patience as we continue with our work.”
No trams to run on major Greater Manchester line for two weeks as part of £150m improvement works
Emily Sergeant
Major disruption is on the horizon, as no trams are set to run on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks this month.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is set to be be carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
Due to improvement works on the Oldham-Rochdale line – which is being carried out between Monsall and Newton Heath & Moston – there will be no trams between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale town centre for two weeks, starting from this Saturday 16 May right through to Friday 29 May.
The work being carried out will involve replacing sections of track and improving drainage along the route.
The track foundation will also be replaced where needed, as well as work to correct the alignment and level of the track.
No trams will be running on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks from this weekend / Credit: TfGM
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has conceded that this is a ‘big and complex job’ – with 290 new concrete sleepers and 2,000 tonnes of pea gravel being used, and more than 5,000 tonnes of ballast set to be replaced.
But, when the work is done, it’s aiming to make journeys ‘smoother and more reliable’ for passengers, while improving the condition of the track for the long-term.
While the work is being carried out and the line is closed, bus replacement services will be in place between Victoria and Rochdale Town Centre, and more frequent Bee Network bus services will also call at the bus stops near each tram stop too, however tram tickets will only be accepted on the replacement bus, not on numbered bus services.
Elsewhere, work at Derker will also take place at the same to ‘minimise disruption’.
The track was made safe following a landslip in summer 2024, but now, a longer-term solution will see teams drive steel sheets into the ground to hold it in place and prevent further movement, before further work will be needed later in the year to complete the job.
And to top it off, from Monday 25 to Friday 29 May, improvement work to update equipment that has been in place since the line opened in 1992 will also take place at Piccadilly Gardens, and that means no trams will run between St Peter’s Square/Market Street and Piccadilly during this time.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free bus to continue their journey.
Tram services will resume as normal from the start of service on Saturday 30 May, and passengers travelling during this period are urged to ‘plan ahead’.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
The Manc -
28th July 2021 
