Rough Sleeper Initiative - Round Three Success

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has secured up to £201,000 in funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support initiatives designed to help reduce and eliminate rough sleeping in the district.

This award recognises the ongoing work of the District Council's Housing Service and its partners in building sustainable change in communities.

This funding follows on from previous successful bids to support the Housing Team in their continued endeavours to prevent homelessness - the most critical form of housing need.

The additional funds will be used to deliver a range of bespoke interventions to prevent rough sleeping and to support those entrenched rough sleepers into sustainable accommodation. The interventions will, uniquely, go beyond the provision of accommodation, and will support people into employment, education, training and to address the challenges and trauma that may have led to them becoming homeless.  The aim is to ensure that a new home is sustainable - that it becomes a base from which to build a future.  The District Council is also keen to help others facing homelessness by using peer mentors - help, advice and support from those with lived experience. 

It is important to recognise that homelessness is rarely solely a matter of providing somewhere to live. Those individuals facing a crisis require help and support in many aspects of their lives and this will be the focus of the District Council's Housing Team, supported by the role of the Rough Sleeper Initiative Coordinator, Gay Lloyd.  The post of Coordinator is one of the roles supported by the previous and new funding pots. 

As a result of the work carried out to date, Housing Services continue to have success in supporting those who find themselves rough sleeping and reducing the numbers within the district. A Government requirement is to carry out a bi-monthly count and at the end of January 2020 four rough sleepers were reported.

Cllr Jo Barker, People Portfolio says: "This is great news that the District Council has again been able to get government funding to help with our rough sleeping initiatives. The ongoing work between our housing services and partners is making a difference in reducing the number of rough sleepers in the district.  But we won't be complacent, there is still more to be done to help prevent those vulnerable people falling into rough sleeping in the first place.  This new funding will help us continue this vital work."

The Housing Team are also working with partners to address street begging. A pathway is being developed in partnership with the police and P3 (who provide the District Council's outreach support) to ensure that the response to street begging is both swift and supportive. 

For those who are genuinely homeless the District Council will continue to offer support, advice and services. But equally, for those who are not homeless the District Council will work with them to identify why they are begging and support them to meet these challenges. 

To support this goal members of the public are being asked to consider 'Meaningful Change' rather than providing those begging with monies.

'Meaningful Change' is an  initiative to enable local communities to make a more positive impact on helping people who are rough sleeping or begging in their towns.  The initiative is a partnership of local charities and agencies working with the homeless and those at risk of being homeless, which aims to make more of a difference by providing a central focus for the public to pledge support.  The aim is to make people more aware of the support services available in the district and how people can best help them by donating and volunteering.

Also operating in Leamington, Meaningful Change Stratford and Meaningful Change Leamington have individual websites providing information and an online platform for donations.  The campaign websites list support available including housing services, rehabilitation, food, emergency shelter, advice and training.

Money donated will be used to fund the support and services needed to help those sleeping rough or begging to make long term, meaningful change in their lives. By giving to the charities and organisations involved in this campaign rather than directly to those who beg, you can change lives. You will help to provide long term support rather than funding the current lifestyles in which many of those begging are trapped.

For more information, including a full list of charities and statutory support agencies involved in both Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa, visit Meaningful Change: www.meaningfulchange.org.uk/ and select the town of your choice.

Also look out for the hashtag #MeaningfulChangeSOA on social media sites.

The Meaningful Change project will also work closely with the new Fred Winter Centre (Stratford Housing Plus) when opened, to ensure that all services to support homeless people are joined up and provide the best possible opportunities for those in need.

Background Information

• • Meaningful Change is a multi-agency campaign aimed at helping to positively change the lives of those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Stratford-upon-Avon.
    
    
  • Visitors to the webpage will be signposted to existing organisations or charities that work with the street community.
    
    Donations can be made to the following charities listed on the Stratford section of the website:
    
    
    • Coventry Cyrenians: providing a comprehensive range of high quality services to homeless and vulnerably housed people in Coventry and Warwickshire - http://www.coventrycyrenians.co.uk/
      
      
    • Doorway: working with homeless young people in Warwickshire - https://www.doorway.org.uk/
      
      
    • P3 Charity: street outreach service for rough sleepers and sofa surfers in Warwickshire - https://www.p3charity.org/
      
      
    • St Basils: working with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness - https://stbasils.org.uk/
      
      
    • Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank: a project founded by local churches and community groups, working to tackle food poverty and hunger in our local communities - https://stratforduponavon.foodbank.org.uk/
      
      
    • Street Pastors: a visible Christian presence on the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon within the night time economy - https://streetpastors.org/locations/stratford-upon-avon/

 Volunteering opportunities are also available on the website with the following organisations:

• CGL (Change, Grow, Live): alcohol and drug treatment centre - https://www.changegrowlive.org/
  
  
• Compass: children and young people's drug and alcohol service in Warwickshire - https://www.compass-uk.org/
  
  
• Citizens Advice South Warwickshire: offering free, confidential, impartial and independent advice - https://www.casouthwarwickshire.org.uk/
  
  
• Warwickshire CAVA Community & Voluntary Action: providing vital support to the volunteers, groups, organisations, enterprises and charities who are working to strengthen all of our communities - https://www.wcava.org.uk/
  
  
• Doorway (as above)
  
  
• St Basils (as above)
  
  
• Street Pastors (as above)
  
  
• Coventry Cyrenians (as above)
  
  
• P3 Charity (as above)
  
  
• Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank (as above)
  
  Items can also be donated to the following organisations via the website:
• Coventry Cyrenians
  
  
• St Basils
  
  
• Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank

In Stratford there are a range of charities and organisations (as listed above) working to support vulnerable people in the community. This ranges from supporting people with day-to-day needs, to providing long term support enabling them to make lasting and meaningful change.

Ends