Helping people who are rough sleeping
- We will work in partnership across our outreach services, other public services, any relevant commissioned providers, local charities, community groups, faith organisations and the voluntary sector, to create a joined-up system of support which means nobody needs to sleep rough or beg in our Borough.
- We will support homelessness charities in areas with high numbers of rough sleepers to collect donations using contactless payment technology in town centre locations with high footfall, and we will work with business on ‘round-up’ schemes so people can make a donation when they pay for goods at the till. This money will be used to provide food and other types of support to people with complex needs like mental health, addiction and trauma, so that charities can help people to take the first step into a life off the streets.
- We will work with the Police to investigate how organised criminal gangs use vulnerabilities and addiction to trap homeless people in a cycle of begging, violence and abuse that is hard to break free from.
- We will develop new sites for supported accommodation for homeless people, and we will continue to evolve our supported accommodation offer so that we can help people to live a life off the streets. This will include piloting new ideas to support people with multiple complex needs.
- We will support the formation of a social enterprise within our supported housing service to provide training opportunities for the hospitality and service sector, helping people to gain new skills whilst being paid.
