A SMALL “homeless campsite” was set up near Rhyl’s seafront yesterday (July 15).

Located by the town’s War Memorial and Remembrance Garden, and its now-closed SeaQuarium attraction, two tents were erected yesterday afternoon.

Denbighshire County Council said it has been made aware of the tents and will engaging with those currently staying in them.

A resident urged the council to do more to help “street homeless” residents.

The resident told the Journal: “I'm shocked that the council leave people out in tents in this awful weather, when they have rooms across the road (at the Westminster Hotel, which the council uses as temporary emergency accommodation).”

In response, a council spokesperson said: “Denbighshire County Council’s homelessness team are aware of these individuals and will be engaging with them this morning (July 16) to access the support services that are available to them.”

This comes days after an unauthorised encampment, comprising roughly seven caravans, parked up on Rhyl’s seafront for the duration of last weekend.

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The caravans moved on from the area on Sunday (July 14), having had temporary toilets and bins provided by the council.

A similar “homeless campsite” was set up in the area in March, meanwhile, which was said to have been “growing for the last couple of weeks”.

In May, a freedom of information request revealed that the council spent the entirety of the £7,356,535.02 it received from Welsh Government’s Housing Support Grant in the 2023-24 period.

This included more than £1.5m spent on temporary supported accommodation and in excess of £3m on “floating support”.

Denbighshire County Council spent its Housing Support Grant for 2023-24 in the following areas:

  • Private rented sector access schemes – £212,548.00
  • Rapid rehousing/housing-led services - £207,973.00
  • Emergency accommodation provision - £835,610.02
  • Enforcement, investigation or compliance with housing legislation - £7,412.00
  • Activities designed to promote and publicise compliance with housing legislation - £1,000.00
  • Floating support - £3,189,516.00
  • Temporary supported accommodation - £1,605,325.00
  • Refuges - £350,453.00
  • Non-statutory Housing Support Grant-funded posts - £364,612.00
  • Other homelessness prevention projects - £435,303.00
  • Other - £146,783.00

The council added that it spent none of this money on rough sleeper assertive outreach services, mediation services, daytime drop-in services, permanent supported accommodation, extra care services, alarm services, and target hardening.