GREATER Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has praised Oldham "for taking the lead" on homelessness.

After hearing of our heart-warming homeless stories and how Oldham Council is set to join with Greater Manchester in supporting hundreds of rough sleepers to have a chance to start a new life, Mr Burnham spoke exclusively to The Oldham Times to express his "delight".

After hearing how Mossley's Dez Richardson had taken homeless Mark Saxon under his wing to help him find work - which led to him being offered a job at the Kingfisher pub, in Greenfield - and how Emmaus Mossley companion Callum Pressley passed his driving test after two years on the streets he said: “I am delighted to see the people of Oldham pulling together to tackle this very real issue and make a difference to those who have fallen through society’s safety net. We recognise that homelessness isn’t just an issue in Manchester city centre but across the whole of Greater Manchester.

“I know that the people of Greater Manchester do not walk by people sleeping rough on our streets – they care and want to do something about it.

"I am incredibly pleased to see Oldham taking the lead on this. These inspiring stories from Oldham show that, with just a little bit of a helping hand, people can escape the streets and rebuild their lives. I hope that, in 2018, Greater Manchester will continue to pull together to help more people turn their lives around.”

Oldham Council is to join the newly-established Greater Manchester Homes Partnership which will work with "entrenched rough sleepers" – people who have regularly slept rough over the past two years and/or are well known to homelessness services – over a three-year period.

They will be given intensive support to be able to sustain a tenancy in one of 270 homes to be made available by 15 of Greater Manchester’s housing providers and two private rented sector partners.

They will also be given the concentrated emotional and practical support they need to access the right kind of targeted health, training and employment services.

It is a UK first, as it represents the broadest range of partners that have ever come together for a government-backed initiative of this type, and it’s the biggest of its type outside London.

Greater Manchester has now become the first major metropolitan area in the country where emergency help will be available to rough sleepers as soon as the temperature drops below zero. Currently, local councils have a legal requirement to provide enhanced support following three nights of sub-zero temperatures however, following an agreement between all 10 councils – these emergency measures will now come into place after just one night of cold weather.

Local councils have also agreed to grant homeless people free access to documents which are necessary to secure housing, such as birth certificates.

Mr Burnham said: “As winter draws in, it is vital that the right support is there for people who are sleeping on our streets. These measures are ground-breaking and genuinely innovative. It shows that Greater Manchester is leading the way when it comes to helping those in the direst of need.

“This also shows the power of partnership as none of this would be possible without the leadership which has been shown by our 10 local councils, other public bodies, housing providers and both the private and voluntary sectors. These measures will save lives this winter, and are an important step towards ending rough sleeping in Greater Manchester for good.

“In terms of the cold weather policy which has been agreed across Greater Manchester, I would call on other city-regions to follow suit and follow the great example set here.”

John Ryan, who runs Shelter’s Manchester hub, said: “As another cold winter bites and the number of people sleeping on our streets continues to grow, we are delighted to be part of this exciting new partnership to tackle the issue. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to work collaboratively with others, to reach hundreds of people who are struggling across the city, and we can’t wait to get started.”