Falmouth is to get emergency accommodation for its homeless residents in an extension of a project set up at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Such units already exist in Penzance, Truro and St Austell and now Cornwall Council has successfully bid for £567,620 from the government as part of the overall £728,910 cost of the wider scheme.

It means that the council can extend the existing 49 units currently being used with an extra 14 - and Falmouth has been proposed as the location for them.

It has not been decided yet where they will go in the town.

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A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "The funding of £567,620 awarded to Cornwall by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government under the Next Steps programme is to support a range of provision and support services for rough sleepers this year.

"It includes an amount to help fund provision in Falmouth and work is ongoing to identify a feasible and suitable site/premises in Falmouth."

Cornwall is one of 22 priority areas outside of London to get funding from the government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme.

Another project that has been drawn up, with the council working with partners including Harbour Housing, Ocean Housing and St Petroc’s, is to provide longer-term move-on accommodation.

The total capital cost of the schemes is £13.2 million with a bid being made for £6.9 million.

The range of projects include six schemes to support people who are still sleeping rough, and to prepare people to move into settled accommodation nine schemes to deliver 125 units of accommodation and five schemes to provide 32 units of accommodation.