This project operates for 11 hours per week in partnership with the North Devon Council (NDC) Housing Options Team. It aims to gather intelligence relating to rough sleepers in the district. It also seeks to engage with individuals to help them off the streets and link them into local services.   The work involves early morning outreach identifying rough sleepers, supporting them to stay safe and well and working closely with individuals to identify suitable re-housing and tenancy sustainment interventions.  The workers can also help the clients into meaningful occupation such as volunteering, training and employment by using various local initiatives.   Basics can be provided in a crisis such as food parcels, travel warrants, tents and sleeping bags and help is given in claiming benefits and form filling etc.

Support and assistance can be provided within a multi-agency framework including Housing, Health (including GPs and Mental Health), The Freedom Centre, Jobcentre Plus, Addaction, EDP, Supported Housing Units, the Police and churches etc.

An official overnight Rough Sleeper Count is undertaken every year by NDC and is verified by a Central and Local Government representative. These are supplemented with smaller ‘hot spot counts’. This looks at identifying numbers of people sleeping rough locally,  what preventative measures are in place to prevent rough sleeping and how local services are working together to combat rough sleeping. These statistics can be found on the local council’s website.

Since the introduction of a dedicated rough sleeper worker to NDC and close working relationships with Encompass Southwest and Freedom Social Projects, numbers have been steadily declining. The project  has also increased awareness and highlighted issues around rough sleeping to the local public and other organisations thereby increasing the success of the project.

During severe weather conditions (as predicted by the Met Office), the Freedom Day Centre in partnership with NDC is able to remain open overnight providing rough sleepers with somewhere safe and warm to sleep and a cooked breakfast in the morning.  To see if the Freedom Centre is open you should telephone 01271 321171.

If you know of anybody who is sleeping rough, please telephone the Rough Sleepers Outreach Worker on 07769954526 for help and advice.

Rough Sleepers Outreach Project