CAMPAIGN groups have welcomed an announcement today (Friday) of a major funding boost to help rough sleepers get off the streets this winter.

Westminster is the largest beneficiary of a £35m pot of funding for the capital unveiled by the government on World Homeless Day.

It is hoped that the investment will help a stretched service provide a more meaningful response to the crisis on Westminster’s streets.

Funds will be spent on providing mental health, drug and alcohol treatment and a simpler ­transition into sustainable accommodation.

Along with street homeless, children and families living in temporary accommodation will be given financial support packages for food, school travel and laundry.

Councillor Adam Hug told Extra: “In Westminster we have more people experiencing rough sleeping than any other part of the country – as the heart of the capital, new people appear on our streets every day.

“The additional support is welcome and clearly underlines the scale of rough sleeping in the City. It is on top of the £8million we already spend every year on services like hostel places and specialist help.

“Our teams are out on the streets seven days a week to offer help to those who will take it. People end up on the streets for complex reasons, but staying there isn’t an option.

“We need to help people away from this dangerous environment and towards help with addiction, mental health problems and the prospect of a better life.”

The Extra has reported extensively on the scale and complexity of the issues surrounding home­lessness for many years. There have been several deaths, most recently in July in Tottenham Court Road (pictured), on the street and also concern about tents being removed by rubbish collection teams.

Westminster, which has been allocated £2.3m, has high levels of rough sleep­ing due to its location at the heart of the capital.

The council says it has 348 beds for “complex singles” accommodation with also 100 spaces for urgent cases, the council said.

Madhu, a service user at the Passage homeless service in Victoria, said: “Behind everyone that you see there may be lifelong circumstances or very sudden circum­stances that has meant they have managed to get to this situation.

“There are all sorts of different circumstances. You’d be surprised.”

Chief executive of Crisis, Matt Downie, said: “This funding is very welcome, especially as winter approaches and with homelessness rising. More people are likely to face the prospect of sleeping on cold streets and need support urgently.”