Rough sleeping in Bedford - the work continues to support those in need

Charity Crisis has urged the Government to do more to tackle the root causes of homelessness, calling the scale of rough sleeping a "damning reflection on our society".

But the latest figures have shown that there are a third fewer people sleeping rough in Bedford Borough than there were one year ago, with work continuing to support rough sleepers and reduce the figure further.

The council estimated that 51 people were sleeping on the streets in Bedford during a spot check on one night last autumn, according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

An estimate in 2010 put the number of rough sleepers at 12.

Charities think official figures are likely an underestimation, as many rough sleepers stay in hard-to-find places.

The MHCLG compares different areas by working out the number of rough sleepers as a proportion of all households.

Bedford has a rate of seven rough sleepers for every 1,000 households, one of the highest in the country.

Local authorities across England estimated there were 4,677 people sleeping rough on the same night last autumn.

This was a slight drop from the previous year when 4,751 rough sleepers were counted - the first decrease for eight years.

However, the number of rough sleepers has increased significantly since 2010, when there were just 1,768 recorded cases.

Housing charity Shelter blamed a lack of social housing, spiralling rents, and a "faulty" benefits system for the dramatic rise in the number of rough sleepers.

Chief executive Polly Neate said: "We welcome many of the things that the Government has been doing to seek to improve services for rough sleepers, but without fundamental action to tackle the root causes of homelessness these measures will only achieve so much."

In Bedford, 41 of the rough sleepers recorded last autumn were male and 10 were female.

Of those who had their age recorded, the majority were 26 or over, but two of them were aged 25 and under.

Nationality was recorded for 46 of the rough sleepers - 31 were UK citizens and 15 were from the EU.

Paul Nobet, head of public affairs at homelessness charity Centrepoint, warned that there were many more hidden homeless people living in unsafe accommodation, who were not recorded in the rough sleeper count.

He said: "These snapshot statistics may show a slight decrease in the number of people rough sleeping, but these figures are only the tip of a much larger iceberg."

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, has warned that preventing rough sleeping is "becoming increasingly difficult", citing a funding gap of more than £100 million for homelessness services in 2019-20.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire welcomed the drop, citing Government strategy backed by nearly £100 million of investment as reason for the downturn.

"The number of vulnerable people sleeping on our streets has now fallen for the first time in eight years," he said.

"But while these figures are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, I do not underestimate the task ahead in achieving our ambition of eliminating rough sleeping altogether by 2027."

Latest figures have shown that there are a third fewer people sleeping rough in Bedford Borough than there were one year ago, with work continuing to support rough sleepers and reduce the figure further.

Increasing levels of rough sleeping have been a national concern, with figures showing that the number of people rough sleeping has more than doubled in recent years. The latest figures have shown a national decrease of 2% in the number of people rough sleeping compared to the year before. Bedford Borough has seen 33% decrease in the number of people sleeping rough.

Every year, Bedford Borough Council and partners carry out a Rough Sleeper Count as part of a national exercise. This aims to give an accurate view of how many people are sleeping rough in the Borough.

This Count was carried out in November 2018, and showed that 51 people were sleeping rough in Bedford Borough that night, compared to 76 in November 2017.

The Council has been proactive in supporting those rough sleeping. In working with partners including SMART and the King’s Arms Project, the Council has been able to support ongoing outreach teams to ensure those sleeping rough are contacted regularly and offered help.

There is also a range of accommodation for vulnerable people and those rough sleeping across the Borough, including Clarence House; a complex needs and supported housing project, hostel provision, and Bedford Nightshelter.

A recent successful bid for funding by the Council saw a range of extended and additional services being provided in Bedford Borough including:

the provision of an extra 20 beds open every single night through winter in addition to the severe weather beds available to all rough sleepers during cold weather

funding for 44 additional units of accommodation

more outreach and support staff to help rough sleepers off the street and into accommodation

Outreach teams have already supported 12 people off the streets and into long-term accommodation. A number of rough sleepers have also been supported into temporary accommodation including 8 people moved off the streets and into accommodation provided by our partners ‘The Kings Arms Project’, with intense support to find employment and long-term accommodation.

This additional support was made possible after a successful bid for over £300,000 from the Government under the Rough Sleeper Initiative Fund.

Cllr Anthony Forth, Portfolio Holder for Adult Services and Operational Housing said “This reduction in the numbers of people sleeping rough on our streets is very welcome. It is fantastic to hear the success stories of individuals who have accepted help and support, and have been turning their lives around.

“But we are not complacent. One person sleeping rough on our streets is one person too many, and we will continue to work with partners across the Borough to provide support, accommodation and help to individuals who need it.”

Mayor Dave Hodgson said “It’s encouraging that things are going in the right direction, but it’s vital this continues. Alongside excellent local charities and other partner organisations and their staff and volunteers, we’ll keep working to help people get off the streets and stay off the streets.”

If you are aware of someone sleeping rough we urge you to report their location and any details to Bedford’s Rough Sleeper Street Outreach Partnership through the national rough sleeping report line at www.streetlink.org.uk, and would encourage anyone sleeping rough to go to the Prebend Day Centre and speak to the staff there to get support.