Dedicated team help rough sleepers
A team who help rough sleepers turn their lives around has played a big part in reducing the numbers of people living on Wiltshire's streets.
The outreach workers are part of a wider initiative by Wiltshire Council to work closely with those sleeping on the streets.
Tackling rough sleeping is a priority for WC which wants to provide appropriate support to improve health and wellbeing.
In the last couple of years there has been an increase in the number of rough sleepers with a range of disadvantages, such as addiction, poor physical and mental health and offending histories.
In 2018 the council bid for funds from the national rough sleepers Initiative and was granted £312,245 for 2018/19 and £305,491 for 2019/20.
The money has been used to:
- recruit a Rough Sleeper Team leader with five outreach workers, one of whom has a mental health specialism; and a rough sleeper prevention officer
- provide eight- bed winter accommodation in Trowbridge which includes overnight support, due to open in December
- offer six high level support bed spaces for long-term rough sleepers with complex needs
- provide 10 beds at Alabare Place, Salisbury, and 10 winter spaces at Unity House in Chippenham, and eight severe weather provision places
- fund 15 private lets for rough sleepers and £10,000 for personal budget requests to help unlock barriers in securing accommodation
Following the rough sleeper estimate carried out in November 2018, 22 Rough Sleepers were recorded compared to 31 the same time last year.