Funding allocated to support key projects that will help people access housing in the Chichester District

A range of support aimed at helping residents to access safe and suitable housing in the Chichester District is being funded thanks to council backing.

 Last year, Chichester District councillors approved a budget of £1million to support the councils Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 20252030. At their meeting on Tuesday 22 September, councillors agreed how the majority of this funding should be allocated to help respond to rising levels of homelessness, improve outcomes for residents, and manage the growing costs associated with temporary accommodation.

 The funding will support a range of initiatives, including expanding the council's supply of temporary accommodation, helping residents make improvements to their homes, and raising awareness of housing-related support through the council's Housing Matters campaign. Funding will also support work to help residents improve the energy efficiency of their homes, with the aim of improving the propertys Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings and reducing carbon emissions where possible.

 Councillor Oona Hickson, Cabinet Member for Housing, Revenues and Benefits at Chichester District Council says: Helping residents in our district access safe and suitable housing is a key council priority. Our housing teams do a tremendous amount of work to support people across the district, and as a council we have a proactive approach to preventing homelessness and helping people access the housing they need.

"Like many councils across the country, we are seeing increasing demand for housing support and rising levels of homelessness. It is more important than ever that we invest in projects that help people access suitable accommodation as early as possible.

One of our key priorities is to support residents in our district who are experiencing homelessness, and I am pleased to say that we are making good progress with expanding the amount of council-run temporary accommodation. This will provide much-needed support as we work with them to find a permanent home, while also helping to reduce the costs associated with sourcing accommodation elsewhere.

As well as providing temporary accommodation, we also recognise how important it is to work closely with families and individuals so that once permanent accommodation has been identified, they are ready to take that next step. This support includes financial advice and budgeting, to help people prepare themselves for their move into new accommodation, and we were very pleased to be able to approve funding for this key element of the teams work this week.

This year, our Housing Team has also been visiting communities across the district as part of our Housing Matters roadshow, speaking directly with individuals about the wide range of housing support that we offer. We have been really pleased with the response to this and the positive impact that this work has been having.

People can find out more information about the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030 at: www.chichester.gov.uk/housings...