Southampton City Council is set to receive £400,000 to help the city’s rough sleepers.

By offering various support, accommodation and crisis intervention, the council will receive the money over two years.

It secured the funding from the department for communities and local government’s rough sleepers’ grant.

The council has also encouraged people to give donations to homeless charities instead of passing it directly to those begging on the street.

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It comes after the council launched the ‘begging you for lasting change’ poster campaign across the city last year with the same message.

Councillor Warwick Payne, cabinet for housing and adult care said: “We especially want to intervene when people are at risk of becoming homeless or have just arrived on the street, as this is perhaps the best chance we have of getting people to accept help.”