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"Everybody deserves to have a home" - how the public can help people sleeping rough this winter

"I've got my own home now and I feel safe and comfortable, " - that's the words from a former rough sleeper who, thanks to help and ongoing support, has been able to move off the streets and into a warm home.

Published 18 December 2024

Wiltshire Council is sharing first-hand experiences of sleeping rough and the difference support can make to encourage more people to contact Streetlink if they see someone on the streets. Streetlink will get in contact with the council's Rough Sleepers Team, which can then go out and support.

Alice, not her real name, was sleeping rough with her partner in a tent during the winter. Every day she was worried that she didn't feel safe and her belongings may be taken. The Rough Sleepers Team helped them move into a hostel and then eventually into their own home where they now feel settled and ready to live their lives.

Alice explained: I love being in my own place, day to day I can get up and make coffee, tea, whatever I want and sit, watch tele or listen to the radio." She has advice for other rough sleepers: Obviously if you need help you can get in contact with the Rough Sleepers Team. They will come out and find you and give you good support and advice and help you with what you need to be helped with.

Geraldine, one of the members of the team who helped Alice and her partner move into a hostel and then into a permanent home, noticed the difference once Alice had a roof over her head: As soon as Alice came to the Haven you could see the relief that she was safe indoors, she could sleep in a bed and she was able to lock the door. Straightaway within a day I noticed the difference in Alice. Her whole outlook on life completely changed, she started smiling again, she was cooking and she felt like she had a home.

In the Rough Sleepers Team it's our job to help them with barriers, it could be with not being with a GP, it could be that they've not got benefits in place, it could be that they're in debt or have housing related issues. We want to overcome those barriers and support them in the hope that they do eventually get their forever home. Everybody deserves to have a home.

In the last 12 months the team has supported more than 275 people sleeping rough in Wiltshire. Through additional government funding, the council has added an additional 15 bed spaces and through the Building Bridges Programme a number of individuals have been supported to return to employment, voluntary work and college courses. Three long-term rough sleepers who in total had slept rough for a total of 54 years were moved into accommodation.

Cllr Phil Alford, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said: It's very hard to hear these stories of how people sleeping rough can feel, trying to sleep or feel safe while living in very difficult conditions. Our team is here to help guide them into a warm, safe place and eventually into a permanent place to stay, along with helping get the practical things in place such as finding a GP and ensuring the support is there.

We have put serious investment into this area to create new bed spaces and we have a strong Rough Sleepers Team, so that ongoing support is available for people to make that transition from being on the streets into a warm home.

Our message again is if you do see someone sleeping rough to let us know so our team can step in and start helping. Please contact Streetlink and they will give us the details and we can take it from there.

If people see someone on the streets they can provide details to StreetLink. Streetlink will provide the council with details, so officers can talk to the rough sleeper, help them find a warm place to stay and offer ongoing support.

People are also encouraged to donate to local charities in Wiltshire, which directly help those in need.

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