Housing project in Anglesey makes progress

The Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, Julie James, recently visited a Welsh housing project provides essential services for those sleeping rough.

The project, called Housing First, operates through The Wallich, Wales’s largest homelessness and rough sleeping charity.

They work with more than 7,000 people across Wales every year and its service in Anglesey is the longest running Housing First project in Wales.

The project helps support getting people off the streets and into their own accommodations, maintaining their tenancies long-term and creating opportunities for people.

The support extends to people who are sofa surfing, leaving secure mental health facilities, substance misuse treatment or prison and people who have been placed in temporary accommodation.

The project receives funding support from the Isle of Anglesey Council through the Welsh government’s Housing Support Grant.

James said: "Everyone deserves to have somewhere to call home, which is why we’ve set out a radical and ambitious plan here in Wales to prevent and end all forms of homelessness.

"Spotting the risks early and taking action is a vital part to achieving this, and projects like Housing First in Anglesey are making a real difference and supporting our plans."

She added that the Isle of Anglesey consistently reports low numbers of people who are sleeping rough and the drop-in centre operating in the county is not only providing essential services but also hope for the future.