New homeless fund launch to help rough sleepers in Milton Keynes city centre

Milton Keynes Community Foundation has launched the official Homeless Support Fund with MyMiltonKeynes with an initial £25,000 kitty.

And they are inviting members of the public to add to it by using new ‘tap to donate’ points throughout CMK, including at Milton Keynes Central Station, centre:mk and Xscape.

These will make it easier and quicker for people to give their help, they say.

Half of the start-up cash has come from the Community Foundation, which is the city’s biggest grant-giving charity, and half from MyMiltonKeynes, which represents businesses at CMK.

The new fund aims to provide “vital assistance” to rough sleepers and the homeless community. It is dedicated to supporting projects that address the needs of homeless people, with a particular focus on those based in the city centre.

And it willl support a range of initiatives, including access to housing, education programmess, skills development, addiction rehabilitation, and other efforts to promote independent, sustainable living.

A few years ago, Milton Keynes was dubbed Tent City because so many homeless people were camped out on the streets and underpasses.

But today fewer individuals are sleeping rough. Councillors say this is because they have “declined to engage” with services offered to them, but they insist they will nevertheless not give up on the stubborn few.

The council insisits it is on top of the problem, stating that all the city’s rough sleepers have either been offered help or else they were not genuinely homeless at all.

The Old Bus Station at CMK provides overnight accommodation for up to 18 people and moves them on to temporary accommodation while offering services such as drug and alcohol support and employment help.

But despite this, a persistent band of rough sleepers can still be seen at CMK. And the new fund will directly help the local charities and groups that can support them.

Jake Geelan, Philanthropy Manager at MK Community Foundation said, “We are incredibly grateful to MyMiltonKeynes for their significant and generous support. The Homeless Support Fund will provide grant funding to charities and groups supporting homeless individuals in the city for many years to come. We are so pleased to be working in partnership with MyMiltonKeynes on this initiative.”

Charlotte Pearson, Marketing Director at MyMiltonKeynes said, “We are incredibly proud to partner with MK Community Foundation on the Homeless Support Fund. This partnership aims to provide not only immediate relief but also sustainable, but crucial long-term support through housing, education, and skills development initiatives.

"By implementing ‘tap to donate points’ throughout Milton Keynes City Centre, we are making it easier for the community to get involved and support these critical efforts.

"Together, we can create a brighter future for those in need.”

Meanwhile, one of the city’s biggest problems is homeless families who have been evicted from rented housing through no fault of their own.

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of no-fault evictions, or Section 21 notices, together with the number of families presenting themselves as homeless to the council’s temporary accommodation team.