Rough Sleeper Intervention Team Annual Report 2020-21
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Rough Sleeping Intervention Team Annual Report 2020-21 1 Contents 3 Objectives 3 Partnerships 3 Strategic Highlights 5 Nobody Needs to Sleep Rough in East Lindsey 7 Outcomes 9 What have we learnt during 2020/2021? 9 What we need to do during 2021/22 – Next Steps 10 Case Studies 11 Myth busting 2 Significant support has been provided The Council was successful with its Objectives by Councillor Bowkett, Portfolio Holder application for funding to provide 6 for Housing and Communities plus the units of accommodation specifically The objective of the Rough Sleeping Intervention Team is to end rough sleeping Specialist Advisors from MHCLG. for people who are sleeping rough by helping people who are sleeping rough to quickly access accommodation and or at risk of rough sleeping. The support and to stop the flow of people onto the streets. funding had to be claimed by a Homes Strategic Highlights England Investment Partner therefore the Council decided to work with Accommodation funded from Rough Framework Housing who specialise in Partnerships Sleeping Initiative (RSi) Grant funding providing accommodation for people Working with The Salvation Army with complex needs. Without the support of a wide range of organisations, our successes would have quickly enabled the provision of been very limited. This includes: 4 units of shared accommodation Framework are to provide 7 units of • ELDC Neighbourhoods Team in Skegness where there is most accommodation in Skegness and these • ELDC Housing and Homelessness Team demand. Two units of self-contained will be available late in 2021. The • ELDC Community Safety Team accommodation were leased from accommodation will be designated for • ELDC Vulnerable Adults Panel Platform Housing Group with one unit this cohort for a minimum of 30 years • ELDC Benefits Team in Louth and the other in Alford. The • Boston Borough Council Housing Team and the Council has 100% nomination range of accommodation enables • Lincolnshire County Council rights to the accommodation. • Lincolnshire Police people with low to high support needs • We are with You to be accommodated as well as those The properties will be used for • Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust with a pet, usually a dog. people with low level support needs • Platform Housing Group who will be able to remain in the • Longhurst Group Covid Funding and Next Steps accommodation for up to three years • Salvation Army, Witham Lodge Accommodation Programme (NSAP) enabling them to receive the required • Salvation Army, Corps, Skegness “Everyone In” support and gain the skills required to • Hope House, Mablethorpe During the 1st Lockdown the team move onto independent living. • New Life Centre, Spilsby sourced temporary accommodation • Private Landlords and B&Bs for 23 people. Most were successfully Rehoused 117 people • P3 moved into long term housing with From April 2020 to March 2021 the • Framework Housing support from other ELDC Housing • East Coast Homeless Outreach team have supported 145 people staff. Only two returned to the streets • Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) who were found sleeping rough but this was their choice. They were • CCG Neighbourhood Teams and of those 117 have moved into • Probation offered accommodation within their accommodation. This ranges from • Light House Project, Louth local area but this was refused. supporting people to move back home • Urban Foundation Outreach Project, Horncastle to sourcing social housing and private • Lincs Digital Rough Sleeping Accommodation rented accommodation. • Team Around the Adult Programme (RSAP) funding 3 Severe Weather Emergency from other agencies. P r o t o c o l ( S W E P ) A c c o m m o d a ti o n During the pandemic the Team No one has died on our Streets followed the advice from the Unfortunately people do die on the Government not to use communal streets in this country and it could halls/rooms for placing people happen in East Lindsey. We try to sleeping rough when SWEP was prevent this and thankfully, have not activated. This meant the usual had anybody die on the streets in options were no longer available East Lindsey in the last year. Getting however the Team worked with the people off the street quickly and Manager of Witham Lodge, Salvation provided with the appropriate support Army Hostel in Skegness to provide is crucial but this does require the self-contained rooms. B&B’s were engagement of the person sleeping closed due to Covid but some agreed rough, which is very often a real to open up so that people could be difficulty that our staff face. We will accommodated. Without the support always continue to offer people access of these B&B’s the Team would have to accommodation and support. struggled to provide accommodation and are very thankful those Reduced the number of people We are proud that at many points over The Team proprietors for working alongside sleeping rough within East Lindsey the year, there has not been anybody Without our dedicated staff who go ELDC. Rough sleeping trends are sleeping rough in East Lindsey. above and beyond to support their measured at a national level with an clients, the Council wouldn’t have Cold Weather Funding ‘annual snapshot’ which provides Covid Vaccination been able to reduce the number The Team were successful in gaining Government with an understanding The Team worked with Lincolnshire of people on our streets. This is the Cold Weather funding through of how many people are sleeping County Council and staff from often a thankless task dealing with MHCLG to enable rough sleepers rough in an area on a ‘typical night’ Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning people who can, by virtue of their to be accommodated when SWEP based on the figure at a snapshot Group to enable people who circumstances, appear to be rude, wasn’t activated but it was still very point in the year (Autumn). There were sleeping rough including aggressive and ungrateful but with cold. This enabled the Team to offer is a national methodology to guide those in our accommodation the time and support, people do generally continued support and housing local authorities consistently on this. opportunity to get the vaccine. This start to engage and can move on with over the winter months. The Team The number of people on our streets also included ensuring staff from their lives more positively. Long term could more easily complete their at the annual count has reduced as partner organisations who work with change requires a huge amount of assessments and provide support follows: rough sleepers to be prioritised for tenacity and persistence. Staff have to compared to when someone is on the vaccine. This was a significant be patient and respect that sometimes the streets. Being warm, fed and programme of work. clients do take backwards steps but comfortable gave clients a sense of 2018 2019 2020 the team will still be there. humanity and they were more willing 18 8 4 to engage with the support offered 4 Nobody needs to sleep rough in East Lindsey Referrals: 145 During the year 300 155 from April 2020 Referrals MEET THE TEAM to March 2021 the Team received People found People not found Rough Sleeping Prevention Coordinator 300 referrals, of People 100 sleeping rough sleeping rough which… with a local CAROL RIPPIN connection 117 People completed People re-housed homeless application People completed with ELDC homeless application Tenancy Support & to another area Resettlement Officers 82 12 33 PHIL STARTIN, 58 Support LYNN PATTERSON, included within KERRY STABLES Tenancy Support accommodation BETH HOLLINGWORTH Out of the 300 referrals, 155 people Some may never end up on the streets were not located or able to be verified and say they are sleeping rough for as sleeping rough. The team will a range of reasons. This could be THE BEST WAY YOU CAN HELP IS TO CONTACT US complete outreach twice a week to because they don’t want the person SO WE CAN HELP THOSE WHO NEED US try and find people who have been where they are living to get in trouble reported as sleeping rough and anyone if they shouldn’t have lodgers or they else. A lot of Officer time is taken up consider they might get social housing Funding: trying to source information about if they say they are sleeping rough. The achievements have only been possible through successful applications for these referrals from other services Officers will spend time establishing grant funding: to establish whether they have seen the facts to help provide advice on £202,936 - Rough Sleeper Initiative Grant 2020/21 them or had any contact which might their options and not unnecessarily £46,278 - Underspends from 2019/20 help the Team to find them. provide temporary accommodation. £6,000 – Covid Grant £25,579 – NSAP short term funding The majority of the 155 people are There will be others who are passing £443,800 – RSAP accommodation (paid to Framework) thought to be mainly sofa surfing or through the area and not found before £4,151 - Cold Weather Grant living with partners, family or friends they have moved on elsewhere. but may end up on the streets for odd Continued funding has been secured for the remainder of the current financial nights when they can’t find anywhere Anyone who is living on the streets year. else to stay. in East Lindsey are usually found and offered advice and support to access accommodation meaning there aren’t numerous unfound people sleeping 5 rough. Location of People Sleeping Rough Advice and Support shows that most cases are effectively This chart shows the areas where Each person found sleeping rough dealt with however the Housing Team people have been found sleeping is provided with advice, support are going to look at this data in more rough.