Hampshire County Council announced yesterday (14 October) that homelessness funding contracts supporting Two Saints will not be axed ahead of time.
This is great news for the organisation, and secures funding until the original contract term of 31 March, 2026.
The council had proposed to cut funding for all homelessness services provided by the county without offering any realistic alternative solutions.
It would mean that the Council would end funding for Homelessness Support Services (also known as Social Inclusion Services) on 30 April, 2025.
However, following a public consultation and deputations to the council from Chief Executive Richard Gammage and Regional Director Kenna Young, councillors suggested a counter proposal which would allow the existing contract to run its course through to 2026.
A vote on this counter proposal was held at today’s cabinet meeting, after which councillor Nick Adams-King confirmed: “Homelessness Support Services will continue until 31 March, 2026, the original contract term.”
You can watch the council discussing and announcing their decision from 1:52:00 here: Cabinet (youtube.com).
Richard said: “At its Cabinet meeting, Hampshire County Council rejected its officers’ proposal to cut the Council’s funding for homelessness support from 2025. It decided instead to let our contracts run through to 2026 and to various measures to work in the best interests of our clients after that.
“Several councillors also spoke up for our clients and for us as an organisation, testament to all our hard work, and to our values.
“It’s good news that the Council stepped away from cutting its funding for homeless support from 2025, but we now look to it and to others to ensure funding is in place to secure these vital services for our clients from 2026 onwards.
“These are some of the most vulnerable people in the county and we will keep making the case to secure the support and homes they deserve.”
Richard was invited to speak on BBC Radio Solent ahead of the meeting to talk about the importance of Two Saints and what this funding means for our work. You can listen from 2:14:00 here: Alun Newman – 14/10/2024 – BBC Sounds
Richard told host Alun Newman: “To be proposing to withdraw all funding for homelessness support across the county doesn’t seem quite right. From our perspective, the most underprivileged people in society are probably the people who the residents of Hampshire want to support first and foremost.
“Without that funding, we would see something like 1,000 more people sleeping rough in Hampshire in any given year.”
He also spoke on BBC Radio Berkshire after the meeting. You can listen from 3:11:44 here: Bridgitte Tetteh on BBC Radio Berkshire – 14/10/2024 – BBC Sounds
Two Saints would like to thank everyone who has shown their support, including the council for its sensible approach, the councillors who spoke up for our clients and our organisation, and to everyone who supported us in the council’s public consultation.
Speaking on BBC South Today, Kenna said: “Our staff are really on the ground and on the streets, and there are Outreach teams that are attached to this funding.
“[If this funding is cut] there will be more visible homelessness across Hampshire, and without these services, we will have people who are dying on our streets.”
Watch Kenna speak from 07:00 here: South Today – Evening News: 14/10/2024 – BBC iPlayer

[Picture: Kenna Young, Regional Director, gives her deputation to Hampshire County Council on 14 October, 2024]