Can you help us help rough sleepers? Search for a venue to provide shelter
Suitable accommodation for rough sleepers to stay overnight is needed for a new service being set up by the council.
To help shape the proposals, the first step is to find a suitable venue which is available for up to a year. The type of premises we can secure will be a major factor on how the service develops.
This year’s annual budget saw £165,000 allocated towards exploring and establishing more help for rough sleepers.
We’re now putting a call out asking anyone with an appropriate venue to speak to the council about this venture.
The building type required needs to have:
- Space to accommodate up to 30 people, ideally with smaller separate rooms
- Kitchen and toilet facilities
- Safe premises meeting fire safety and health and safety regulations
- Availability from Summer or early Autumn 2018
- Access from 6pm to 8am, 365 days of the year from the day the service starts running
- A central location
- Disability access
- Storage space for equipment
- Low cost
We are interested in hearing from anyone with a building matching this list. As well as calling out for help from the city, we are looking again at council owned buildings to see if we have premises suitable and available to add to the options.
Our adult social care team will work with the venue owner to develop an agreement for use and ensure the service is well managed and appropriately staffed.
Cllr Clare Moonan, lead councillor for rough sleeping, said: “We’re tackling a national housing crisis at our local level. This is the next step in helping vulnerable people on our streets gain shelter and support to move away from the dangerous rough sleeping lifestyle.
“Over the winter months we ran a successful night shelter at the Brighton Centre. We’ve gained valuable insight from the shelter which will be used as part of the innovative ways we can help more moving forward, working with partners, residents and communities across the city.
“It’s a huge challenge. We’re seeing more vulnerable people sleeping rough on our streets at a time when funding from government is being dramatically reduced, which is having an impact on services. We are determined to help those in need and we are making sure the funds available are invested in the best way possible. We’ll be sharing regular updates as the plans develop over the coming months.”
If you are able to help, please email Commissioning.Team@brighton-hove.gov.uk with details of your property and your contact details before Thursday 31 May 2018. We will be in touch to discuss the options and see how this could work for all concerned.