A CHARITY that works to prevent homelessness in Darlington has set up a new project to provide targeted help and support to people from the first night they end up on the streets.

First Stop Darlington, based in Tubwell Row, received more than £241,000 of grant funding from the Homeless Transition Fund to adopt the No Second Night Out initiative, which was piloted in London.

The project, which the charity hopes to have set up in July, will fund an outreach worker and a substance abuse counsellor who will work with some of the most vulnerable people in the town.

No Second Night Out is a Government project which involves having services in place so people sleeping rough can quickly be identified with the help of the public and provided with accommodation.

The method has been dubbed assertive outreach, where workers actively look out for people on the street and work with them to access the range of support services available.

The charity said it hopes the funding will improve its effectiveness across Darlington and allow staff to work with people who might otherwise miss out on the support available.

Darlington was chosen as one of 19 towns across the UK to receive grant funding for the scehem, which will be run in conjunction with the North East Council for Addictions.

Tracy Freeman, manager at First Stop Darlington, said: “We hope to have these two key posts filled in time to launch the service as soon as possible - work behind the scenes has already begun.

“This service will help to address many of the issues around both new homeless and long-term homelessness, both of which are unacceptable in our world today.

“Bringing new people into services quickly and effectively will help to prevent anyone becoming entrenched in homelessness and the destructiveness this can cause. At the same time we will be making contact with those who have experienced long term or repeated homelessness due to their extensive issues which spiral out of control and move them further and further away from stability and independence.”

For more information on the scheme visit nosecondnightout.org.uk