Council rehomes almost 70 rough sleepers over the course of the pandemic

Over half of those sleeping rough in North East Lincolnshire over the course of the COVID pandemic have been successfully resettled according to the latest data.

When the virus first struck, the Government launched the Everyone In scheme, to house anyone who found themselves homeless or sleeping rough during the course of the pandemic in temporary accommodation.

Of the 115 people who presented themselves as homeless or were considered to be sleeping rough during the pandemic, 66 were resettled into alternative accommodation.

Data shows that the remaining 49 did not return to being classed as homeless or sleeping rough on the streets of North East Lincolnshire, suggesting that they instead returned to family homes or found other more permanent accommodation.

Councillor Callum Procter, portfolio holder for housing at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “The work of our homeless prevention service and our partners at Harbour Place often goes unseen, but these figures really show what they can do at such short notice and under incredibly difficult circumstances.

“Within hours of the Government publishing the Everyone In scheme, our team were busy arranging accommodation for some of the most vulnerable people in our borough.

“Since then, they’ve been working behind the scenes with each individual to try to help them to get their lives back on track and get them into stable, suitable accommodation.

“In North East Lincolnshire, we tend to have between 5 and 15 people who present as homeless or sleep rough at any one time. Our team work with Harbour Place and other organisations to identify these individuals and offer temporary accommodation and support to get them back on their feet.

“Whilst this help isn’t always accepted, the circumstances of the pandemic meant that we had greater flexibility and could really target our wraparound support.

“The team do some great work everyday to prevent people from becoming homeless, and our partners at Harbour Place continue to carry out valuable outreach work to get anyone sleeping rough the proper support to help them rebuild their lives.”

Harbour Place project director, Robin Barr, said: “The success of the scheme in North East Lincs is built upon the commitment and energy of the teams involved, highlighting the real impact that effective partnership working can have and the difference it can make to people’s lives.

“Harbour Place look forward to continuing and developing this work together.”