Liberal Democrat Councillors are asking Sheffield City Council to get serious in the way it supports rough sleepers throughout the COVID-19 crisis. This follows the government roll-back of emergency accommodation support and an arson attack on a key homelessness charity.

Coun Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrats council group, will be seeking answers from the Labour-led Council on how it plans to support the Archer Project and keep homeless people safe in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. 

We want the Council to start a fundraiser for the Archer Project. With the govt withdrawing emergency accommodation & the arson attack on this key service, it's vital that we all pitch in. It's time to end homelessness in Sheffield for good. Donate here 👉 https://t.co/dnvaN9vDEH

— Sheffield Lib Dems (@SheffLibDems) May 20, 2020

Shaffaq Mohammed said: “We are pushing for a city-wide fundraising appeal to help the Archer Project get back on its feet. A fundraising appeal would help in the short-term, but we need a better long-term strategy to get serious about homelessness in Sheffield. Without government support, many risk going back on the streets,” he added “I have major concerns that the Council just does not have the answers to these questions.”

Local Lib Dem campaigner Sophie Thornton added: “The Council scrapped a project last year to house Sheffield’s homeless, largely due to a lack of single-occupancy accommodation. With the government rolling back support and the Archer Project’s premises unusable, the Council has a lot of questions to answer about how it will step up to meet demand, or risk the lives of incredibly vulnerable people.”