Authorities in Cumbria have been given a share of emergency funding to help those sleeping rough self-isolate during the coronavirus outbreak, as councils in the county reassure residents that emergency shelters are still in operation.


Councils in Carlisle, Copeland, Allerdale and Eden alongside all other local authorities in England have been given access to £3.2m in emergency funding from the Government.
The funding will be allocated to each local authority according to the number of rough sleepers reported in each local authority in Autumn last year.
Local authorities are keeping their emergency accommodation open throughout the outbreak.
A spokeswoman for Carlisle City Council said that the authority will also continue to provide advice on the various rehousing options open to those in difficult situations, beyond those at an immediate risk of homelessness.
“We are delivering essential service delivery only safely in line with government guidelines to protect vulnerable people and staff. This includes following our usual out of hours approach via telephone interview,” the spokeswoman said. 
The city council has also established “safe zones” within its emergency accommodation to allow self-isolation to take place, and will be working with both social and private housing providers to rehome current residents in its shelters where possible to boost capacity.
“We have a range of emergency accommodation options including `hostels’ ‘safe house’ and ‘self-contained dispersed’ provision which are all still operational.
“We are having to temporarily reprioritise our operational delivery to ensure that critical services, with safe levels of staffing, can continue to be provided to vulnerable people. 
“We will continue to deliver responsive services 24 hours a day, and will continue to do all we can to support vulnerable residents; including those at risk of or experiencing domestic abuse and rough sleeping.”
A spokesman for Copeland council reminded residents of how to get in touch with the authority’s emergency service for those facing homelessness and for victims of domestic abuse.
“The team can be contacted directly via email at housing.options@copeland.gov.uk or on 01946 598300 by pressing option four and then one,” the spokesman said.
“This option should only be used for emergency homelessness and domestic abuse queries."