More Support For Rough Sleepers

Over recent weeks, we have been working with charity The Passage to offer increased support to rough sleepers in our area. You may see The Passage’s dedicated frontline team out and about in the Quarter, and working with our Street Team in yellow, to reach and support those sleeping rough.

People who find themselves rough sleeping have often experienced a range of issues and require the support of many different public and private sector services. The Passage’s Community Intervention Team is a dedicated team that aims to listen to and understand stories of rough sleepers on a case-by-case basis. By addressing the combination of issues that have contributed to someone sleeping rough, the team works to support them out of homelessness.

We put an extra £7,000 in place for this issue after a reported rise in rough sleeping over the last few months due to events in other areas causing individuals to move to the Quarter and surrounding area. By the time The Passage started work in the area, we had already begun to see a drop in rough sleeping in the Quarter following a targeted approach by our Street Team, Westminster City Council, St Mungo’s and the police. This has also allowed The Passage to focus energy on supporting some of the most complex cases.

If you have any concerns about individuals sleeping rough in the Quarter, please use Streetlink to help connect them with services that can offer support. Read more about our Street Safety Team’s work in looking after the area here.