BARNSLEY Council will receive an additional £1m from the government to spend on reducing and preventing homelessness.

Research by homeless charity Shelter estimates that 100 people will be homeless this Christmas, including 46 children.

Barnsley Council has been helping combat the homelessness issue in the town, and charities like The Rucksack Project are currently taking in donations to support those sleeping rough this winter.

The funding announcement was made last week, with South Yorkshire receiving a total of £13m to tackle homelessness - with Barnsley Council receiving £1,056,369 for 2025/26.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “My mission is to make South Yorkshire a happier, healthier and safer place for everyone, but that goal is all too far away from those members of our community who simply need the basics of a good life - safe and secure housing is the very least people deserve.

“And yet there are still far too many people in South Yorkshire whose lives are blighted by homelessness and rough sleeping. ( “Thanks to this increased investment from government, Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster councils will be able to intervene earlier, to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place. There will be more resources to support vulnerable people back into secure housing and reduce the need for temporary accommodation that can create instability for people and families.( “Whilst funding is vital in tackling these problems, I know the government also recognises that we need to develop local solutions, because we know our communities best.

“I will work with all four local authorities, other key partners and the government to find long-term, practical measures and policies that will allow us to respond both quickly and effectively, to put an end to the misery caused by homelessness and rough sleeping.”