Published Thursday 2 July 2026 at 9:15
Council set to invest £270k a year to tackle rough sleeping and protect vital supported housing
Blackburn with Darwen Council is set to invest in vital supported housing provision to help people off the streets and rebuild their lives, as part of its ongoing commitment to tackling rough sleeping.
A report going to the Council’s Executive Board this week recommends continuing funding for the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme (RSAP), which provides safe accommodation and specialist, wraparound support for people who are sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness.
The proposed investment of £270,000 per year would maintain 30 units of supported accommodation across the borough, ensuring some of the most vulnerable residents continue to receive the tailored support they need to stabilise their lives and move towards long-term independence.
The Council has long taken a proactive, partnership-led approach to tackling rough sleeping -focused on prevention, early intervention, and helping people access safe, sustainable accommodation.
In the past year alone, the Council’s Housing Needs team has supported 178 people and 82 families at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping into accommodation.
A key part of this approach is RSAP, which enables people to move directly from rough sleeping into safe housing, alongside support for health needs, substance misuse, life skills, and pathways into independent living.
Over the last year, the programme has:
– Reduced levels of rough sleeping
– Helped individuals maintain tenancies
– Improved health and wellbeing outcomes
– Reduced demand on emergency and temporary accommodation
The proposed continued investment would sustain this progress and prevent a significant setback. Without it, there is a risk that up to 30 individuals could return to rough sleeping, alongside increased pressure on emergency services and wider support systems.
The report also comes as the Council welcomed national changes to repeal the Vagrancy Act, reflecting a shift towards supporting people experiencing homelessness rather than criminalising rough sleeping.
Councillor Damian Talbot, Executive Member for Housing and Public Health, said:
Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home, and our focus has always been on supporting people to move away from rough sleeping and rebuild their lives.
These national changes reflect what we are already doing here in Blackburn with Darwen -taking a compassionate, practical approach that tackles the root causes of homelessness, not just the symptoms.
Our Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme is making a real difference, helping people off the streets and into safe accommodation, with the support they need to move forward.
Continuing this investment is essential to protect some of our most vulnerable residents and ensure we don’t see people returning to rough sleeping.
The Council will continue to work closely with partners across housing, health, and the voluntary sector to deliver a coordinated, long-term approach to ending rough sleeping in Blackburn with Darwen.