Huge funding boost to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in Coventry.

The West Midlands will receive slightly over £18.2 million from the Supported Housing Programme between 2026 and 2029, with the majority going to Birmingham and Coventry, where there is a strong demand for homelessness and rough sleeping services.

Millions of pounds will be invested across the West Midlands in the next three years to eradicate homelessness and rough sleeping.

The West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee will meet next week to review the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce’s operations.

A report provided to the committee revealed that significant financing allocated to the region will assist the continuation of programs launched in recent years.

The West Midlands will receive more than £18.2 million under the Supported Housing Programme, with the majority of this investment going to Birmingham and Coventry between 2026 and 2029, where the highest need exists.

This program intends to increase the availability of supported accommodation by procuring housing-related support services, with an emphasis on preventing homelessness and reducing rough sleeping, according to Birmingham Live.

The WMCA will receive £545,845 in 2026/27, £555,713 the following year, and £1,335,461 in 2028/29 under the three-year Homelessness, Rough Sleeping, and Domestic Abuse Grant.

According to the report, this financing is in addition to whatever funds that specific local governments may have received previously.

Between 2020 and 2025, the five-year WMCA Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) Programme invested £2.7 million in a variety of programs. Over five years, the scheme aided 6,381 people, including more than 400 who were moved off the streets into emergency accommodation, over 1,000 who were able to get and keep tenancies, and others who were placed in jobs or training to reduce future risk.

Over £900,000 was received for 2025/26 through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, which was used to fund treatments for people most at risk of returning to rough sleeping, as well as individuals facing long-term homelessness.

To date, 488 people have gotten assistance from the program, 462 of them have been supported in retaining or finding new housing.

According to the study, “As we move forward, our aspiration to eliminate homelessness remains our primary goal.

“The national strategy reflects many of the focus areas that the Homelessness Taskforce has been promoting since its inception, including prevention at a much earlier stage, a focus on the impact of homelessness on children and families as well as people experiencing rough sleeping and a need to collaborate much more effectively.”

The Homelessness Taskforce will continue to collaborate with existing and new partners to redouble our efforts to advocate, encourage, and embed system change throughout the WMCA region whenever possible.”

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