CASH has been secured to convert a building in Chester to provide 36 bedrooms for homeless people.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has been successful in its bid for more than £2.6 million to provide homes and help people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough.

The majority (£2.1m) of the funding, which has been awarded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' Single Homeless Accommodation Programme, will be used by the council to carry out conversion works at Curzon House.

The building will provide 36 bedrooms, and 24/7 support for homeless households for the next three years.

About£550,000 will also be put towards the cost of acquiring six one-bedroom flats for former homeless individuals, with a support worker funded for the next three years to help those people through any issues or challenges that they have.

The council says it is committed to ending rough sleeping and reducing homelessness in the borough.

It currently helps those at risk of homelessness or those currently homeless to find suitable supported accommodation until they can find permanent homes. This successful bid will help to fund new supported accommodation that is being developed by the council across the borough.

Cllr Christine Warner, cabinet member for homes, planning and safer communities said: "We are proud that Cheshire West and Chester is a compassionate council that works hard to support those most in need.

"The council has a strong track record in being a Borough of Sanctuary, and we want to make sure that people don’t spend any more Christmases without a home.

"I would like to thank the council’s strategic housing team and wider colleagues who have successfully secured this funding which will help us to continue developing supported accommodation schemes.

"People sleeping either on the streets or spending prolonged periods of time confined to a single room in a hotel is not an adequate response for people in difficult circumstances, and not one that we would want for our family or friends. That’s why we’re looking at developing more accommodation like this to ensure that people at risk of homelessness can access suitable, supported accommodation while they seek a more permanent long-term home."

The Government say the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme aims to increase the supply of high-quality accommodation with accompanying support to address gaps in homelessness provision.