Deaths caused by alcohol hit a new high during the first nine months of 2020, provisional figures for England and Wales show.
Between January and September, 5,460 deaths were registered with this cause – up 16% on the same months in 2019.
It is the biggest toll recorded since records began in 2001.
Dorset Council has been successful in securing £306,713 in funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care and managed by Public Health England. It is one of just four local authority areas in the south west to receive funding through this programme, and one of 43 nationally. Additional funding will be allocated in 2021-22.
The funding will specifically target those who need support with their use of alcohol or other drugs and help them rebuild their lives. Rough sleepers who are being provided with emergency accommodation during the pandemic as part of the government’s ‘Everyone In’ programme, and people who are currently rough sleeping, will be eligible for support.
The funding will support people to access detox and rehabilitation services outside of Dorset where appropriate, as well as improving wraparound support in the local area, such as access to mental health and substance use workers and peer mentors, who are key to working with vulnerable people in treatment services.
The project will work closely with the Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP), through which Dorset Council has also received £1.6m to help people find and maintain safe, stable accommodation across the county as appropriate. The council has also agreed a further £4.78m over the next two years to purchase and refurbish properties to support homeless and rough sleeper households.
The bid was developed by Public Health Dorset in partnership with the NHS and local charities, and will support work by REACH, The Lantern Trust, The Bus Shelter, Julian House and Shelter, who all already work locally on these issues.
Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety at Dorset Council said:
“This funding shows how seriously Dorset Council takes the issues around substance use and housing locally – and the strong partnerships we have locally to help address these issues. By bringing together organisations that have the expertise to support people, and providing them with the resources they need, we can really help change individuals’ lives, which will also benefit their loved ones and the wider local community, who can suffer from the impact of substance misuse.”
Cllr Laura Miller, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Dorset Council said:
“We know that some people can find it difficult to access support services, and then their health can continue to deteriorate, which in turn makes it harder for them to turn their lives around. This funding will take help directly to the people who need it most, enabling them to make changes and live safe, productive and fulfilled lives.”
For further information, see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-help-for-rough-sleepers-with-drug-and-alcohol-dependency
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