Council looks at ‘wet’ shelter

BRIDGEND County Borough Council is looking at providing a wet provision for homeless people in the county which would enable rough sleepers to have a bed for the night but still be able to drink alcohol on the premises.

At a recent council meeting Councillor

Cheryl Green said people were sleeping rough despite the availability of empty beds in the town because they were not allowed in if they were using alcohol or drugs.

She said: “It’s a vicious circle – people take these things very often to get through the night as they’re dependent on alcohol and substances but they’re not allowed in if they’ve been drinking or on drugs.

“If they wish to sleep outdoors it’s their prerogative but if they wish to have a bed for the night there should be someone, somewhere to help them.”

Cabinet member for wellbeing and future generations Councillor Dhanisha Patel said she planned to visit the wet provisions offered in Cardiff.

She told councillors: “Cardiff has two wet provisions – one is run by the council and one by a third sector provider. It’s something we’re looking at – I plan to go and have a look at how it works.”

During the corporate overview and scrutiny committee last Thursday, Councillor Jane Gebbie said she was concerned about the rising population of homeless people, especially in Bridgend town centre.

She said: “Our capacity is very limited and I’m concerned we are not doing what we need to be doing for our community when we’ve got so many homeless people out there.

“We’ve got somebody that quite often leaves all their belongings in the entrance way to the civic centre now to keep their stuff safe and dry.

“While one person that used to do this has been supported by the Wallich, we’ve got another person now that’s claimed it as their spot.”

Council leader Huw David said a homelessness strategy was due to come before cabinet next month.

He told councillors the local authority had recently extended the number of beds offered to rough sleepers needing intensive support but admitted more funding was needed as the council was having to support more homeless people than it ever has done before.

However, Cllr Patel said there were signs that funding from Welsh Government which is used for projects to help prevent homelessness or support people living in their own homes or hostels was going to be reduced next year.

She said: “We are working on lobbying Welsh Government to make sure that doesn’t happen and proving the point Supported People funding is valuable and well-used.”

During 2017-18, the number of people coming to the local authority for help either because they were homeless or about to become homeless hit 1,020.

The figure is expected to have increased by a third during the past year.