Coordinated approach tackling rough sleeping in Reading
- Council working closely with commissioned charity partners and the voluntary sector to address rough sleeping
- Support available to those in need includes over 270 bed spaces
- Approach focuses on intensive support based on individual needs
A coordinated approach to tackling rough sleeping in Reading highlights how the Council is further developing partnerships with commissioned providers and the town’s voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) to provide even more targeted support for people.
A report to July’s Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee outlines how building on partnerships is a key strand of the Council’s recently adopted Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
Alongside Council officers, the Committee will hear from partners St Mungo's, Launchpad Reading, The Salvation Army and Faith Christian Group about the partnership approach to tackling rough sleeping in Reading. The presentation will focus on how agencies work together to support people from the streets into stable accommodation and long-term recovery.
Reading Council also provides ongoing support to Faith’s Winter Shelter, and these partnerships are integral to the delivery of frontline services and responding to emerging need around rough sleeping.
The HNLC report also includes details of support available to those in need. More than 270 bed spaces remain available to help those who are found rough sleeping or at risk of homelessness. They include:
- Supported accommodation pathways, including a specific young person’s service, the female-only Nova Project and an Intensive and Engaging Support hub with 24/7 staffing
- 100 bedspaces for individuals needing housing-related support before moving on to independent living
- Housing First and Couples Accommodation pathway offering permanent tenancies with wraparound support for those with complex needs
The support is in addition to seasonal provision through the Council’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) response offers emergency accommodation when temperatures fall to zero for three consecutive nights or when they reach dangerously high temperatures in the summer, as seen during the recent heatwave in June and July. The Bed for the Night Winter Shelter, operated and funded by Faith with contributions from the Council, also provides extra bed spaces from January to March.
The Council’s partnership approach is a key element to delivering long-term change through the Housing First model, which brings together housing, health, adult social care and voluntary sector partners to provide crucial intensive support centred around individual needs to help people settle in to stable, long-term accommodation.
The Council also intends to learn from the influence and experiences of people who have previously slept rough, and cross-sector service providers, to influence service design and delivery.
Matt Yeo, Lead Councillor for Housing at Reading Borough Council, said:
“Rough sleeping remains one of Reading’s most high profile and visible challenges and the Council leans heavily on the knowledge, know-how and experience of our incredible charity and voluntary sector partners in order to tailor our support services according to need.
“A key strand of our new Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy is to build on existing partnerships and further tap into their expertise to design services which can make a real difference on the ground.
“When you see someone sleeping on the streets it can be easy to assume no support network exists, but that is far from the case in Reading with more than 270 bed spaces available and support services tailored to individual needs. So much positive and largely unseen joint working takes place behind the scenes, which we intend to develop further over the months and years to come.”
A copy of the 21 July HNLC report can be found at: https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/documents/s40542/6%20Delivering%20a%20partnership%20response%20to%20rough%20sleeping%20in%20Reading.pdf