Zero homeless found in town
But figure sparks concerns over ‘inadequate’ survey method and ‘hidden’ sofa surfers
NEWS that no-one was found to be sleeping rough in East Staffordshire during an annual count has led to concern from one homeless charity.
East Staffordshire Borough Council, along with Burton YMCA, conducted its annual rough sleeper count on one night in November last year and could not find a single person sleeping outdoors at the time.
The news has been welcomed by the YMCA and council bosses, but members of Burton Hope, another charity which works with the homeless in Burton, claims the method to count the number of rough sleepers is “inadequate” and does not take into account the ‘hidden homeless’ who are sofa surfing.
John Anderson, chairman of Burton Hope, agreed that there was more support available to the homeless now, but said: “We at Burton Hope consider the method used for the rough sleeper count to be inadequate and have stated this since we participated in the count of 2018, where all recorded rough sleepers were found by our volunteers.”
He added: “I think moving forward, a good subject for discussion will be our many sofa surfers. They are just as homeless as our rough sleepers but are not counted or taken into consideration in any count.”
Revealing the zero figure, the council said it came after a number of local authority commissioned projects to help rough sleepers to access settled accommodation.
The result was verified on the evening of the count by the attendance of a Homeless Link verifier, and has since been adopted by the Office for National Statistics. The count was supported by volunteers from four separate organisations to give additional assurance, including Humanity Unites, Burton Soup Kitchen, and Burton YMCA.
The council says rough sleeping has seen a decline since peaking in 2017 when the annual count found 16 rough people. The authority, and say it has been driven by a number of factors, including a range of successful projects, which have largely been funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative.
It says it is also down to the rise in voluntary and community activity, which has been used by the Burton and East Staffs Homeless Partnership; as well as the implementation of the Homeless Reduction Act in April 2018, and the recruitment of a housing outreach officer to strengthen the council’s housing options team.
More recently, targeted activity associated with the pandemic, commonly referred to as ‘Everyone In’ has also helped get people off the streets.
The council helped set up the Burton and East Staffs Homeless Partnership, which works with 16 current members from across the range of local services available to homeless people.
A spokesperson for the YMCA said: “We are very pleased to have worked with East Staffordshire Borough Council and other agencies to support the reduction of homelessness in Burton and East Staffordshire district.
“The zero findings of rough sleepers at the annual street count was fantastic news, and one to be thankful for. This has come about through collaboration with a number of agencies, investment and support from the borough council and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
“We recognise as people’s lives and circumstances change particularly as a result of the pandemic, the homeless situation too can change. A breakdown in relationship, changes to employment status either with a reduction in hours or redundancy can have a major impact on individuals lives.
“Throughout the pandemic we have remained open in delivering our front line homeless services.
“For anyone who needs homeless advice or support they can contact the YMCA at our Housing Project Reconnect on 01283 547211. In the meantime our outreach team will continue to do regular sweeps of the area to identify any new people that come on to the streets, and get them the help they require.
Mr Anderson added: “Things are better for rough sleepers now due to various schemes. Change started in the first lockdown in 2020 when operation ‘All In’ required all rough sleepers to be put into accommodation of some kind. Hotels and supported accommodation was used and the rough sleepers were taken off the streets quickly and efficiently.
This was a testament to many organisations in East Staffordshire working tirelessly to identify our rough sleepers and to contact the council’s housing options to find them accommodation.
“Burton Hope has concerns that when things settle from the pandemic and Covid-19 specific schemes end, that rough sleeping will increase again. It is up to every organisation in this field, nationally, to work hard and campaign to ensure things do not drift back.”
The process for counting or estimating the number of rough sleepers in a local authority area is outlined nationally and is not a method that can be deviated from, the council says.
Councillor Ray Faulkner, the council’s deputy leader for environment and housing, said: “I took part in the rough sleeper count in November and experienced the thoroughness of the search firsthand.
“The result is testament to the success of the collection of initiatives we have been able to commission from local organisations with funding from the MCHLG, together with the work of the Homeless partnership. It’s particularly pleasing to see a reduction in entrenched rough sleeping which is a real marker of success.”
The zero findings of rough sleepers at the annual street count was fantastic news, and one to be thankful for.