Exeter City Community Trust has secured more than half a million pounds to help tackle homelessness in the city - part of a landmark £37 million Government investment in voluntary, community and faith sector organisations across England.
The grant of £541,989, awarded through the Government's Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, will enable the Trust to expand its work supporting people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes over the next three years. The funding forms part of a national effort to put communities at the heart of tackling homelessness, with the voluntary and community sector working alongside statutory services to prevent rough sleeping and support people into settled homes.
The funding comes at a critical time. Homelessness in Exeter is a growing problem, with the number of people sleeping rough in the city continuing to rise. Data also reveals a revolving door crisis - with people repeatedly cycling through the system and tenancies failing at around the three to nine month point, when statutory support ends.
Exeter City Community Trust established its Supported Housing programme in 2021 providing wraparound support to around 100 people living in houses across the city. The programme helps people develop the skills to maintain their own tenancies and live independently, through one-to-one advice, signposting and targeted support. This new funding will enable the Trust to build on that work over a three-year period, creating two new roles in the process.
The programme will be delivered in partnership with organisations already delivering vital work every day to support people experiencing homelessness in Exeter. The aim is to connect and strengthen the collective effort - working alongside those organisations, complementing their work and contributing to a joined-up response across the city.
Jamie Vittles, Chief Executive of Exeter City Community Trust, said: "Homelessness is one of the most complex challenges facing our city, and there are many dedicated organisations and individuals already working incredibly hard to support people every single day. We want to work alongside them - connecting existing efforts, filling gaps where we can, and making sure that together we are able to reach more people and make a more lasting difference.
"The project will provide intensive engagement support, work towards a peer-led social hub, deliver sport and physical activity, and offer 12-week resettlement help. The aim is to make a meaningful contribution towards ending rough sleeping in Exeter - helping those in need into settled homes, providing access to opportunities across the city, and helping them to sustain their tenancies.
"Over three years, two members of our team will support people through relationship-based casework, sport activities and community links. We hope that by working collectively with organisations across the city, we can cut repeat homelessness in Exeter and make a real and lasting difference to people's lives."
Through the funding, the team will focus on three areas:
- Supporting people to transition from rough sleeping into stable accommodation
- Early intervention to prevent people from entering rough sleeping in the first place
- Tenancy sustainment - helping people to stay in their homes once housed
The programme will build on the Trust's existing health and wellbeing activity, develop new targeted sessions and a bespoke Job Club, and work with local employers to create opportunities for those it supports.
The Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund is a new three-year fund running from 2026 to 2029, forming a central part of the Government's National Plan to End Homelessness. Through the fund, the Government has committed to halving long-term rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament
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