Official Figures Confirm Rough Sleeping Fall in Bedford Borough as New Funding Success Announced

Official figures released today have confirmed that the number of people rough sleeping in the Bedford Borough has more than halved in just two years.

The Rough Sleeper estimate is carried out by local authorities across the country on a nominated night every November. The November 2019 estimate (supported by a street count) showed 30 people sleeping rough in Bedford Borough. In 2017 this figure was 76, dropping to 51 in 2018.

According to figures released this morning by the Government, Bedford Borough has seen the tenth largest decrease in England in the number of people rough sleeping from 2018-2019.

In addition to this official estimate, Bedford Borough Council maintains a fortnightly estimate and bi-monthly count of the number of people sleeping rough, working in partnership with local organisations and agencies. This ensures that the Council has accurate knowledge of everyone sleeping rough locally, and through outreach teams, is engaging with these individuals to offer support where they can.

This reduction has followed innovative and proactive steps by the Council and its partners, including opening a 'Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub' in Autumn last year, providing beds every single night of the year for people who are sleeping rough.

The Hub, where Mayor Dave Hodgson is pictured here, operates 24 hours a day, offering housing advice, support services, and somewhere safe for people who are sleeping rough to stay for a short term. A number of organisations and support services work from the Hub, helping people find their way back into a settled home.

This Hub has joined other initiatives such as Clarence House, which provides support for those with the most complex needs; more outreach support encouraging vulnerable people to accept help; and additional accommodation.

Bedford Borough Council has also today announced that it has secured just over £1million from the Government for 2020/21 to provide new and continued support services for those rough sleeping.

This funding ensures the future of the Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub for 2020/21, along with outreach support and accommodation. It will also allow the Council, working with partners including the East London Foundation Trust, to provide specialist support for those with both substance use and mental health problems.

It also recognises that the majority of people now rough sleeping in Bedford Borough are 'European Economic Area' nationals, and provides funding for specialist outreach caseworkers for these individuals.

Local authorities usually cannot support this group as they are not eligible for statutory homelessness services, and councils are very restricted in what support they can give. This change in Bedford, among a number of other local authorities, recognises that without support to help people onto a pathway back to independence it would be difficult to reduce rough sleeping figures further.

Commenting, Mayor Dave said: "As a Council and with our partners, I am very proud that we have been able to successfully get people out of the cycle of rough sleeping, providing support to help vulnerable individuals back into settled accommodation.

"Keeping people off of the streets is not just about picking people up once they have fallen, but working with people to help them stay in housing. In our latest budget we have a further invested £100,000 in homelessness prevention. This is on top of the rough sleeper initiatives funding from the Government."

Liberal Democrat Cllr Tim Caswell commented on the fall in rough sleepers revealed by the November count following the latest Housing Committee meeting.

He said: "This major fall in the number of rough sleepers is hugely welcome and shows how much work the Council and partners have done and continue to do to tackle rough sleeping.'

"Of course, one person sleeping rough is one too many and the task now is getting that figure down further. 22 of the 30 people sleeping rough are European Economic Area nationals and have 'no recourse to public funds' so are therefore more difficult to help. However there is some work undertaken by the Kings Arms Project specifically to help those people and of course the emergency beds and severe weather provision are available to all regardless of country of origin".

To access an emergency bed the Council encourages anyone that is sleeping rough to visit the Prebend Day Centre, speak to any of the Council's outreach workers, or contact the Council's Housing Options Team at any time on 01234 267422.

Anyone with any concerns about someone they see sleeping rough can let the outreach teams know via www.streetlink.org.uk