Cornwall charity says PM's Christmas rough sleeping pledge 'will have an impact'
Saint Petrocs says a 146 people have already been identified as sleeping rough in the county.
A Cornwall charity supporting those facing homelessness has welcomed a guarantee from the Prime Minister that every rough sleeper will be off the streets by Christmas.
It comes after Andy Burnham hosts the first-ever Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street, and confirms a further £432 million in funding to back the commitment.
St Petrocs, which works to end homelessness in Cornwall, says this additional support is "definitely going to have an impact".
The charity has been working with Cornwall Council to deliver emergency accommodation, and says the first people have already moved in ahead of the council's own scheme being rolled out.
Ahead of the Autumn Budget, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life. It's a thing governments either choose to accept or don't. Well I don't accept it.
"That's why we're doubling funding so that people aren't just offered a safe route off the streets this winter but have that same support right through the rest of this Parliament too."
Henry Meacock, chief executive of Saint Petroc's, said the charity welcomed the funding and the attention it has brought to the issue.
"We really welcome the investment and also the raising of the awareness of homelessness of an issue," he said.
"We have already been working with Cornwall Council over the delivery of emergency accommodations, so this is already taking effect.
"In fact, the first people have moved into emergency accommodation of St Petrocs in advance of the council run scheme. It's definitely going to have an impact."
Hidden scale of the issue
The charity said 146 people have been identified as currently sleeping rough in the county - although Mr Meacock said the true number of people affected by homelessness in Cornwall could be much higher.
"It is really difficult to capture the entire scope of homelessness," he said.
"Rough sleeping, sofa surfing, people who are in insecure, unsafe accommodation and people, and especially females, who might not ordinarily present for support.
"So , yes, we do know people that will benefit immediately from this, but we need to be prepared for more people seeking support."
"There's a huge part we can all play in resolving this homelessness crisis"
Mr Meacock added that the success of this investment relies on everyone working together.
"We also welcome some of the announcements around the quality of supported accommodation and making sure that the support services are there are tailored to individuals - that's where St Petrocs and organisations like St Petrocs across the country can play their part," he said.
"Making sure that we're focusing on people and not numbers. There's a huge part we can all play in resolving this homelessness crisis - we we need to look to all parts of society to play their part."