£20m was made available by the Government as part of its Homelessness Prevention Trailblazers scheme to enable ambitious new ways of preventing homelessness to be piloted by authorities. A a £625,000 grant was awarded to a Bucks consortium.

The bid was led by Aylesbury Vale District Council in conjunction with Wycombe District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council.

The aim is to work with at least 400 people from across the county to help prevent them from becoming homeless over the course of the two year pilot programme.

The county-wide scheme will see local authorities liaising with a wide group of partners such as GPs, job centres, schools and the voluntary sector. Support hubs will be established across the county to identify people who might be at risk of homelessness and give them the help they need before they reach crisis point.

The new services will be overseen by an agency that will be managed and co-ordinated by Aylesbury Vale District Council on behalf of the other local authorities.

Cllr Julia Langley, Wycombe District Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: ‘We are delighted the consortium’s bid to become government trailblazers for tackling homelessness has been successful.

Housing is a key priority for Wycombe District Council and we are always looking for new ways to help prevent the people of our district from becoming homeless.

This grant recognises our commitment to supporting our residents at the most difficult of times and providing them with a network of services to help them to get back on their feet.‘

Wycombe District Council’s Housing Team can provide help and advice if you think you are at risk of losing your home or, if necessary, help you find alternative accommodation depending on your circumstances.

If you find yourself sleeping rough then the Connections outreach service, funded by the council, is on hand to assess your circumstances and provide the most appropriate support to help you.

If you are rough sleeping or have concerns for anyone rough sleeping anywhere, please call Streetlink on 0300 500 0914 or visit their website at www.streetlink.org.uk.

Wycombe District Council also works closely with a number of organisations to help prevent homelessness including Wycombe Homeless Connection, Wycombe Women’s Aid, YMCA and the Wycombe Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme, which guarantees the deposit private landlords require when a tenant rents a property.

For advice or more information about the support on offer in the Wycombe District visit www.wycombe.gov.uk/housing alternatively call 01494 421 212 or the emergency out of hours number on 0800 999 7677.