NEARLY £400,000 has been pledged to help rough sleepers and other vulnerable people.

Barrow MP Simon Fell has welcomed the Government’s plans to provide £388,000 to South Lakeland for local schemes that provide accommodation for those in need.

No money has been allocated to Barrow.

He said: “This Government, working closely with local authorities, has shown throughout the pandemic that it is willing to take the swift action necessary to keep some of the most vulnerable people in our community safe.

“On behalf of everyone I’d like to thank all those involved for everything they’ve done to get people off our streets and into secure, safe accommodation.”

Projects across England will receive more than £150 million to deliver more than 3,300 homes by the end of March 2021.

As part of the Government’s ‘Everyone In’ campaign launched at the start of the pandemic, Mr Fell believes it has helped thousands of lives in the UK.

He said: “The ‘Everyone In’ campaign has protected thousands of lives and if we are to deliver on the promise we made in our manifesto to end rough sleeping by the end of the Parliament, then the people who have been helped need to be able to access long-term housing that gives them the safety and security they need to rebuild their lives, which is exactly what the funding announced today will do.”

So far, 276 schemes have been approved across England which will deliver 904 new homes in London and 2,430 elsewhere across the country.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick added: “Our Everyone In plan is widely considered the most effective action taken by any country in the world to protect those sleeping rough from the pandemic.

“And that work hasn’t stopped - 29,000 rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been supported into safe accommodation since the start of COVID-19.

“The next step in our mission is to ensure they have a more settled home.

“Which is why we are providing over £150 million, as part of the biggest ever investment in homes for the homeless, to deliver over 3,000 new long-term homes.”