Hello, I’ve just received this information from Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, cabinet member for housing at West Suffolk Council
“Next week will see West Suffolk Council meet to discuss our new Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
My thanks to all who helped shape this as part of our public engagement which included residents, staff, councillors, and partners in health and housing.
Part of the strategy looks at what we can do so that more people can better afford a place to live – the cost of housing is one of the factors behind homelessness.
The strategy also builds on early intervention work and greater work with partners including private landlords to accommodate people who have lost their home.
Ahead of next week’s discussions I wanted to provide you with an update on our work to help people who are sleeping outside or in cars – termed rough sleepers by the Government.
Chris’ story
Chris had a mortgage, had a house, in West Suffolk but he still became homeless in the autumn of 2021 after a friend moved into his home. The pair clashed and Chris took to sleeping in a car.
“I couldn’t get back in my house, the bloke wouldn’t leave. I used to drive out to a village car park – a church or village hall where I wouldn’t be disturbed and then sleep in the car. It was very cold.”
Eventually Chris was referred to West Suffolk Council’s Rough Sleeper Support Service who got Chris into temporary accommodation and helped him get support for his health.
“The rough sleeper service was brilliant and looked after me until I got my house back,” Chris said.
The council supported Chris as he applied through the courts to gain repossession of his home which he moved back into in May 2023. The Rough Sleeper Service also supported Chris as he negotiated with the bank to get his mortgage back on track.
You can see more on his story at https://youtu.be/LAsxqA79XO4
The number of people rough sleeping in West Suffolk
Occasionally we will get asked by the media about the number of people rough sleeping in West Suffolk. Any figure we give is simply a snapshot as it can change daily as people either accept our help or lose their accommodation.
On 31 October this year there were five people rough sleeping in West Suffolk. Many of the rough sleepers currently on the streets have previously been accommodated or offered accommodation which they have turned down. Many also have complex needs such as needing support with their mental health or to help them overcome addiction to drink or drugs.
This compares to four people on the same date in 2023, while in 2018 when the Rough Sleeper Support Service was first formed, we had 36 people rough sleeping in West Suffolk. This has gradually reduced through a mixture of support, accommodation and persistence. We are of course continuing to do all that we can to encourage those who are rough sleeping in West Suffolk to take up the support available to them.
Our new strategy which I will be asking Council to approve, includes greater intervention work with partners in health and housing to further prevent homelessness and rough sleeping wherever we can. We will also continue in our daily efforts to encourage people who are rough sleeping to accept the support and accommodation available to them.
Reporting rough sleeping
If you see or suspect someone is sleeping rough, the quickest way to notify the Rough Sleeper Service is to report it using Streetlink www.streetlink.org.uk The service will then receive an alert and will go out and speak to the person (if they aren’t already) to try to get them the help that they need.
Looking for Change campaign
In Bury St Edmunds, people can support the campaign through a text by typing BSE followed by the amount (so for £5 type BSE5) and send to 70085. You can also donate online at www.burydropin.org/donate/