A CHARITY which helps homeless people in Winchester will be awarded a £50,000 grant boost, if proposals are given the go ahead.

Trinity Winchester has applied to the city council to receive the funding to fill the shortfall in its appeal to build an extension of 11 self-contained flats at its base on Durngate.

The £1.47million project will provide safe housing alongside Trinity’s support services to help people move on to independent living.

The grant application will go before a decision day by cabinet member for housing and asset management, Cllr Kelsie Learney, on March 23.

If approved the grant will be awarded through the council’s section 106 funding – money given to the authority by developers to provide infrastructure or affordable housing.

In a report to Cllr Learney, it states: “The bespoke Trinity affordable housing project will support the most socially excluded and provide onsite health services to those who find it challenging to access mainstream services. Reducing health inequalities focusing activities on the most disadvantaged areas, communities and groups to live well.”

The project is expected to help towards the council’s aim to end rough sleeping by 2023, which is said to represent “good value for money”.

“The council may otherwise be reliant on reaching the government’s target through costly and unsuitable bed and breakfast placements or a need to build a further purpose built homelessness scheme,” the report continued.

The scheme was given planning permission in April 2019 and needed to raise £910,000 to be able to complete the project by the end of this year.