• Mayor visits ‘hidden’ homeless people living in makeshift tents in woodland
• Outreach team helped 357 people including those living ‘off grid’ in woods, parks and buildings
• Over £4 million additional funding secured to sustain and expand regional homelessness services
• More than 400 people already helped into secure homes through Housing First

Homelessness isn’t always visible. Across the Liverpool City Region, some of the most vulnerable people aren’t sleeping rough in busy city centres – they’re living in tents pitched in woodlands, parks, and abandoned buildings, often isolated and out of reach.

This week, Mayor Steve Rotheram visited outreach workers in Knowsley to meet people living ‘off grid’ in woodland areas and to see first hand how local teams are working to support them. The visit was part of the Combined Authority-funded Assertive Outreach programme, delivered by homelessness charity The Whitechapel Centre, which has already supported 357 people so far this year.

The visit coincided with confirmation that the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has secured an additional £4.1 million in government funding to continue and expand its work tackling homelessness.

The new funding will help sustain the Combined Authority’s pioneering Housing First programme and a range of other targeted interventions, including specialist outreach teams, a dedicated homelessness social worker, and a community psychiatric nurse – all delivered in partnership with the region’s six local authorities and frontline organisations.

Housing First, one of the first policies introduced by the Mayor, provides people facing the most complex barriers with a permanent home and the tailored support they need to address issues such as mental health, trauma and addiction. Since launching, it has helped over 400 people to start rebuilding their lives with stability and dignity.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:

“Homelessness isn’t always what people imagine – it’s not just the people we see in city centres, but also those sleeping in tents in woods, in parks, and in derelict buildings.

“No one should ever be made to feel invisible. That’s why we’re investing in services that go out to meet people wherever they are – offering not just a roof for the night, but the long-term support they need to rebuild their lives.

“Housing First was one of the first policies I introduced as Mayor. Since then, we’ve supported more than 400 people into secure homes, with wraparound help to address complex needs like mental health and addiction. This additional funding means we can keep that momentum going – helping more people move off the streets and into a better future.”

Graham Morgan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration and Leader of Knowsley Council said:

“The specific outreach support provided by the Combined Authority through the commissioned service delivered by Whitechapel, means we can reach more people experiencing rough sleeping in our borough.

“It allows support workers to get out to people, understand what has happened to them and then work hand in hand with our statutory homeless teams. It’s a collaborative effort to generate the best outcomes for rough sleepers in Knowsley and help people off the streets to move forward with their lives in a positive way.”

Sophie Mayor, Services Manager for Whitechapel which delivers assertive outreach programmes across Knowsley, Halton and St Helens on behalf of the Combined Authority said:

“Homelessness isn’t always what you see in big city centres, it can be quite different and more remote in the towns that make up the city region. We receive welfare alerts for people in parks, disused buildings, woodland, places slightly more off the grid than we might see in Liverpool.

“Assertive Outreach is a service which is helping people when other support hasn’t worked. We work closely with the local authorities in Knowsley, Halton and St Helens where the Combined Authority commissioned service is active and can more swiftly support homeless people experiencing mental health or social issues thanks to our community psychiatric nurse and social worker.”

The Combined Authority has been awarded £4,125,039 for 2025/26 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Of this, £3,486,572 comes from the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant (RSPARG), which funds Housing First and a range of other commissioned services, including Assertive Outreach, Homelessness Social Worker provision, the Trailblazers early intervention programme, and the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) initiative.

A further £638,467 will continue to fund one-bedroom homes provided through social investment company Resonance, part of the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP).

This latest funding will support services across the region through to March 2026.