Oxford City Council has agreed a grant budget of £1.75m to help prevent rough sleeping and single homelessness.
At its meeting on Wednesday 12 March, Cabinet approved allocations to the preventing homelessness budget (PHB) during 2025-26. This £1.75 million investment will ensure vital services will continue to support people at risk of rough sleeping and homelessness across Oxford.
Preventing homelessness budget aims
The PHB funds services to:
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prevent rough sleeping, making it rare
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minimise time spent rough sleeping, making it brief
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support rehousing and recovery, making it non-recurring
In 2024-25, this budget was £1,654,429 but for 2025-26 it will increase to £1,754,429 with an additional £100,000 from Council funds.
Key allocations for 2025-26
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£968,580 will go to the Oxfordshire Homelessness Alliance, which delivers key homelessness services across the county. The Alliance is a partnership of Oxfordshire’s councils and the NHS aiming to improve service delivery and client outcomes for adults experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness
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£220,921 for the Council’s rough sleeping and single homelessness team
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£157,132 will be investment in housing-led and Housing First accommodation to help more people move off the streets and out of supported accommodation into their own settled homes
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£263,657 is set to be allocated for Matilda House, which is a supported accommodation project
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£76,138 in core funding for day services provided by the Porch Day Centre and The Gatehouse
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£40,000 to contribute towards a sanctuary scheme for people experiencing domestic abuse
This funding aligns with the Council’s housing, homelessness and rough sleeping strategy 2023-2028. The Council continues to work closely with Government partners to secure additional funding for homelessness services.
Comment
“Homelessness is a complex issue, and nobody should have to sleep rough in Oxfordshire. Long-term rough sleeping remains one of our biggest challenges at Oxford City Council, but this funding will ensure that vital services continue to prevent homelessness, provide support and help people move into stable accommodation. By increasing our investment, we are reinforcing our commitment to making rough sleeping in Oxford rare, brief and – hopefully – non-recurring.”
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
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