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A lifeline homelessness support service could be under threat from council budget cuts. Homelessness charity BHT Sussex say their East Sussex Floating Support Service could see its funding cut by nearly 90 per cent as part of funding cuts by East Sussex County Council. The charity said the service is facing £4.
5 million in cuts and, should the changes go through, could see more people becoming homeless in the county. East Sussex County Council are making cuts to try and bridge a £55 million budget deficit. Nikki Homewood, director of advice and support services at BHT Sussex, said: “If these cuts go ahead, many more people will become homeless.
The people we support are vulnerable, from individuals living with long-term illness or mental health problems, to families living in unsuitable accommodation, to older people who are frail or living with dementia. “With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and record numbers of people living in temporary accommodation, homelessness prevention services like ours are needed more than ever. Please help us protect this essential service by taking part in the consultation.
” BHT Sussex said the service, which has been run for the past three years and supports families at imminent risk of homelessness, saved 1,342 households in 2023. The service helps people to find secure accommodation or gives support to remain in their homes as well as offering help to those faced with domestic abuse, harassment and hate crime . Plans to cut the service's funding are currently being consulted on by East Sussex County Council until November 28.
The final decision on funding will be made in February. The plans come after councils in East Sussex such as Eastbourne said it was struggling with its finances as a result of the homelessness crisis. Despite saving more than £3 million in its budget for the current financial year, Eastbourne Borough Council estimated that it spends 49p of every £1 in council tax it receives on temporary accommodation.
East Sussex County Council is currently facing its own £55 million deficit. Cllr Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “We have some extremely difficult choices to make, and we are having to carefully consider every possible option to address the significant shortfall we face next year. “We have saved more than £140 million over the past decade, but with further reductions in funding, demand for services rising and an increase in costs – including an almost doubling of costs to provide children’s social care in just three years, we cannot continue to deliver services in the way we have been.
“We know that the services we are talking about offer support to vulnerable people and it is vital that councillors have all the information they need to make difficult decisions when setting the budget for 2025/26, and that includes fully understanding the impact that any savings will have. “It’s important to stress that we will continue to help everyone entitled to support under the Care Act, which is a legal duty for all councils.”.
