answer text |
<p>We do not hold the data requested as it is not our policy to issue tents to service
users. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service
(NPS) are required to facilitate access to housing and support services for the offenders
that they are managing. This includes working together with local partners to help
offenders find accommodation and supporting them to maintain their accommodation as
part of a package of support tailored to meet their individual needs. We are investing
an additional £22m per annum over the remaining life of the CRC contracts to ensure
that CRCs deliver an enhanced Through The Gate service to offenders leaving prison.
Alongside this investment we have introduced a new Through the Gate specification
which will ensure that CRCs complete specific tasks, including to help every prisoner
to secure and maintain settled accommodation. As part of the Government initiative
to reduce and ultimately eliminate rough sleeping across England, we are investing
up to £6.4 million over two years in a pilot scheme to help ex-offenders into accommodation
from three prisons, namely Bristol, Pentonville and Leeds. The pilots will focus on
male prisoners who have served shorter sentences, who have been identified as having
a risk of homelessness. Contracts have now been awarded in the three areas and, following
a mobilisation period, we expect services to commence in Summer of this year. This
is a concrete step in our commitment to tackling rough sleeping.</p>
|
|