A council has secured hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of funding which will be used to help rough sleepers.

Watford Borough Council says it has received £235,240 from the government, which will be used to pay for humanitarian and accommodation support for those who are homeless.

The money will also be used to help pay for increased levels of support for ex-rough sleepers who were given accommodation at the beginning of the pandemic in March to enable them to remain off the streets.

Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “No one in our town should have to sleep rough. During this global pandemic, the team at Watford Council have worked closely with local charities to make sure that there is more accommodation available for people who need it.

“With autumn now upon us, and winter quickly approaching, this funding will mean that we can help those in the community who have fallen on hard times and found themselves sleeping on the street.

“Our aim is not to just get people off the streets for a night – we want to break the cycle of rough sleeping and help people make changes for the long term. That’s why proactively seeking out extra funding such as this is so important.”

In putting the bid together, the council worked in full partnership with and support from One YMCA, Watford Community Housing and New Hope.