A Wirral Council report said there were no rough sleepers in the borough in its most recent survey.
The authority's ‘annual snapshot’ for 2020, conducted in November, report the figure of zero rough sleepers.
In 2019’s snapshot, there were six rough sleepers in Wirral and in 2018 there were 16.
The council said that changes to its Housing Options service, plus government support during the pandemic, have helped to achieve this welcome result.
One change was the introduction of a ‘triage’ system, where the council worked with housing providers to make sure everyone who needed it was placed in the right accommodation.
Hostels, supported housing, private and social rented homes, and bed and breakfasts were all options the service could call on, with officials working with people to make sure they got the best option possible for their needs.
Since March 2020, this approach has led to 811 short or longer-term housing placements and will remain the council’s policy going forward.
Enter your postcode below to find the latest figures where you live
Another important scheme was the ‘Everybody In’ project, in which the council sought to provide accommodation for all who needed it during the first wave of the pandemic.
National funding is now available to enable Wirral Council to continue delivering this service.
At last night’s meeting of the authority's housing committee, councillors praised the work, but had two main points to make.
Chairing the meeting, Liberal Democrat Allan Brame said the figures were “great news”, but he asked what will happen in the future and will the borough continue to be able to house all its citizens.
He added: “We want to make people sleeping rough a thing of the past.”
Cllr Stuart Whittingham, who represents Upton for Labour, also praised officers, but said he was disappointed that it has taken a global pandemic for the government to give Wirral Council the money it needs to get people off the street.
Fellow Labour councillor Adrian Jones said he was “quite amazed” by the numbers, crediting council officers for “jumping through hoops” to get on top of the problem of rough sleeping.
