OUTREACH volunteers embarked on the annual rough sleeper count last week, carrying out an extensive assessment into the number of people that are sleeping rough on our streets.
The count, which takes place each year, is used to inform national statistics on homelessness, and willing volunteers this year set out from the Doughty Learning Centre on Town Hall Street in Grimsby.
The volunteers were split into groups covering Immingham, Cleethorpes, Grimsby and hotspots where the outreach team often offer support to people sleeping rough.
Last year’s rough sleeper count estimated there were 14 people rough sleeping in North East Lincolnshire. This year, there was 14 people counted again.
Rough Sleeper counts which take place across the country provide a snapshot figure of how many people are sleeping rough across England on a typical night in Autumn. This allows the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities to track trends in rough sleeping numbers.
Rough sleeping is defined as ‘people sleeping or about to bed down in the open air such as on the streets, in tents, or in doorways’. It also applies to people who are sleeping in buildings or other places that are not designed for habitation such as stairwells, barns, sheds and car parks.
This does however exclude those who are living in temporary accommodation or ‘sofa surfing’ so does not give an absolute measure of homelessness.
NELC’s outreach team that work alongside partners such as Harbour Place, Navigo, and Humbercare hold early morning and late night checks every day of the year where they tend to help 4 people on average per day.
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Housing, Infrastructure, and Transport said:
“The Rough Sleeper Count provides an opportunity for us to not only see where our rough sleepers are staying and where to focus our support efforts, but also gives us more information as to the number of rough sleepers in North East Lincolnshire.
“With increasing numbers of people contacting the council for help with their housing situation, it is essential that we are able to plan our support to help as many people as we can. With more information about subjects such as rough sleeping, we are able to do this.
“I’d like to say thank you to all our volunteers from North East Lincolnshire Council, and their partners such as Harbour Place, Humbercare, We are With You, the NHS, and Longhurst Group, who took part in the rough sleeper count.”
“Many of the people counted were already known to the outreach team and have been offered support in the past. We know that there are a small number of people that either do not accept that offer of support, or struggle to interact with services.”
If you are struggling with your housing situation, call North East Lincolnshire Council’s Home Options Team on 01472 326296 (Option 1).
If you’re sleeping rough, or have spotted someone who is, the easiest way to help them is by making an alert on streetlink.org.uk with basic details about the person who is sleeping rough which will go to the outreach team who will be able to help.
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