More than 70 people facing homelessness in Newport have been found accommodation since the coronavirus outbreak began.
At least 184 vulnerable people across Gwent have been placed in emergency accommodation to protect them from the disease, according to figures from the five Gwent councils.
The number of people sleeping rough in Newport is now in single figures after it was in the high thirties, thanks to a joined-up effort involving Newport City Council, housing organisations The Wallich, Pobl, Eden Gate and the Salvation Army and Gwent Police.
Homeless support charities say there is now a “great opportunity to end rough sleeping in Newport.”
A spokeswoman for Newport council said all known rough sleepers were taken off the streets “as soon as possible after the start of the outbreak”, and “extreme efforts” are being made to find more accommodation to meet the high demand.
“Newport City Council’s housing team has been working tirelessly to find temporary accommodation for those who were sleeping rough and those presenting as homeless,” the spokeswoman said.
“Often these are people living chaotic lives so this has been a complex operation but since the lockdown began accommodation, and packages of support, has been provided for more than 70 people to date but this figure is increasing daily.”
Temporary accommodation in bed and breakfast and hotel rooms in the city has been secured, with housing organisations working to provide three meals a day.
Councils in Wales have been given a share of £10 million by the Welsh Government to provide emergency accommodation for anyone sleeping on the streets in an effort to reduce the risk of any of them catching or spreading coronavirus.
