Oxford homeless people won’t need to return to sleeping on the streets even after the pandemic ends this year.
“Everyone Inside”
In March, when the coronavirus pandemic broke-out, the government issued an “everyone inside” order. The directives aim to prevent the spread of coronavirus by providing temporary shelters to homeless people. Ever since there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among homeless people in Oxford.
“The lockdown period gave us a unique opportunity to engage with people in emergency accommodation. For many of them, the certainty of a safe bed gave the bit of stability they needed to start having conversations about leaving the streets behind for good. We’ve already helped 76 people to move on into more sustainable housing. And this is something we want to keep doing,” Councillor Mike Rowley said in a statement.
Oxford homeless people
The council housed a total of 203 people in hotels and student rooms across Oxford during the past months. Of that number, 76 have been moved into more permanent housing.
The council recently announced that the temporary housing will be available for lease until July 2021. This is thanks to the agreement between the government and the A2Dominion which provides student housing. Even after the pandemic ends, homeless people won’t return to sleeping on the streets.
“We believe that nobody should have to sleep rough in Oxford. And I’d like to thank Oxford Brookes University, A2Dominion, the YHA, University College, and St Mungo’s for helping us to provide the interim accommodation that could make our ambition a reality,” Councilor Rowley added.
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Reference: Good News Network