Autumn Winter 2018/19: An Update

Autumn Winter 2018/19: How rough sleepers were helped in Leicester

With spring now in full swing and summer on the way, we’re looking back at what was a very busy autumn and winter for homelessness services in Leicester. A year since the Leicester Ending Street Homelessness campaign saw 150 volunteers conducting a city-wide street count, Leicester was identified as one of the top 20 hotspots for rough sleeping in England. Funding from the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) meant that the city was able to appoint a Rough Sleeping Coordinator, with responsibility for bringing all activity together resulting in a more joined up service for those people on the streets.

Thanks to work from a range of partners over the last six months, 138 rough sleepers have been helped from the street and into accommodation. 15 individuals were housed straight into their own tenancy and are receiving support to maintain it.

As part of this work, Action Homeless set aside 20 units of accommodation specifically designated for people who had been living on the streets for a considerable length of time with a reluctance to move into a traditional hostel. During the winter months, a dedicated team of three staff members supported 22 people off the streets into Action Homeless homes, 19 of whom continue to be housed and are working towards their own goals.

Mark Grant, chief executive, said ‘Extra funding to tackle rough sleeping has enabled us to be more flexible and responsive to the needs of rough sleepers. In adopting a strengths based approach and by being afforded the time to work with people intensively, we’ve managed to achieve more successful outcomes for people that have a long history of street homelessness. This is testament to the excellent partnership working between agencies and the dedication of front line staff across the city’

Another key development for the city this Autumn/Winter has been the development and launch of Leicester’s Homelessness Charter, which seeks to bring organisations and individuals from across the city together in tackling homelessness. Following a successful launch event that was attended by more than 100 people from charities, the voluntary sector, local businesses and statutory organisations, momentum has continued to build and the charter now has five distinct working party’s looking at different areas related to homelessness; accommodation, education and employment, migration and destitution, well being and community engagement.

Whilst the charter website is under construction you can download a copy of it here.

For more information on Leicester’s Homelessness Charter please contact homeless.charter@leccofe.org