National homelessness charity Crisis has been announced as the facilitator of the new Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund.

Responding, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said:

“The number of people forced to sleep rough in Greater Manchester and across the country continues to rise and, for many, the consequences are devastating. Rough sleeping ruins lives, leaving people vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on their mental and physical health. This is no way for anyone to live.

“But we know there are solutions, and so we welcome the new Mayor of Greater Manchester’s commitment to end rough sleeping across the city region by 2020, and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund, which Crisis has been chosen to help set up. For 50 years, we have been helping people leave homelessness behind for good, and we will use all that knowledge and experience to help ensure money donated to the fund is used as effectively as possible to put an end to rough sleeping in Greater Manchester once and for all.”