Coronavirus: A thousand hotel rooms will shelter region’s homeless
Reporter: Niall Griffiths
Date published: 27 March 2020
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham
A thousand hotel rooms will be used to accommodate homeless people across Greater Manchester.
A £5m package funded by the NHS and 10 local authorities was agreed by the Greater Manchester COVID-19 Emergency Committee on Wednesday and more than 600 beds have already been made available across the region.
A further 375 beds are expected to be sourced by Friday afternoon.
Mayor Andy Burnham explained that the hotel rooms will accommodate the region’s rough sleepers and those in shared hostels to help protect them from the risks posed by coronavirus and allow them to self-isolate.
He said: “We have identified 720 people or thereabouts who are currently in shared accommodation that will need our support and 285 sleeping on our streets who will need our support.
“We are being supported in doing this by the NHS and our councils. We also have support by the Greater Manchester Homelessness Network.
“They will supply personal support to people in the form of personal products, prepared meals, sanitary products and dental products so that people can be supported in the best way they can.”
Mobilisation is underway to ensure prepared meals will be delivered to hotel accommodation daily.
This will use existing day centre and soup kitchens operating in the city-region, alongside restaurants who will no longer be opening their doors and express a willingness to participate.
A number of former rough sleepers accommodated in hotels will also be supplied with mobile phones to enable them to remain in contact with support workers
Mr Burnham praised the “heroic” effort of hoteliers, public authorities and volunteers for setting up the 12-week scheme.
He said: “Overall it’s a positive story that Greater Manchester has done this itself. It’s very much a Greater Manchester effort to do what we can ourselves.
“I want a legacy to come from this as well. It shouldn’t take something like this but we hope this does help us with our ambitions to end homelessness and rough sleeping.
"I hope this can be a permanent route away from the streets.”
There is a commitment under the new system to continue, as much as is practicable, to provide people with mental and physical health support.
This will include, clinical psychologist mental health support, drug dependency support including prescription service and wellbeing support.
Local authorities have identified taxi firms that they are able to call on to be used in the first instance to transport individuals to the hotel rooms.
TfGM is supporting the procurement of a Greater Manchester-wide black cab contract that can transfer individuals, staff, and belongings consistently over an initial 12-week period.
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