Liz is reaching out to support rough sleepers across North East Lincolnshire

We find Liz, North East Lincolnshire Council’s rough sleeper coordinator, on a day where temperatures are below freezing and SWEP is now in action.

SWEP - Severe Weather Emergency Protocol – is activated by local authorities to support rough sleepers when there is severe weather - usually when the temperature drops below freezing for more than three days in a row.

When SWEP is in place, Liz is busier than normal – making sure that anyone found rough sleeping in the borough is offered a temporary bed.

She explains: “These beds are a temporary option to keep people safe during the cold weather. They can range from camp beds to a hostel, but are always better than sleeping in the cold. On average when SWEP is in place, we normally supply 10 beds with more offered if needed.”

However, adds Liz, there are some who turn down the offer: “Many people prefer to stay outside, despite the cold weather. It’s often because it can be lonely moving into an unfamiliar place and people who sleep rough often create a community of friends. It can be hard for some to leave that community and come inside.”

When Liz talks about her work, it is clear that simply ‘offering a rough sleeper a home’ is often not the answer to prevent homelessness in the short or long-term.

“A common misconception of how to solve rough sleeping is to simply give everyone accommodation, and this is often something I hear when dealing with SWEP.

“But when people are sleeping on the streets, they usually need more support to be able to live in a home again permanently. Housing isn’t often their only issue, so we aim to provide a holistic service for everyone who asks us for support.”

Liz’s knowledge of rough sleepers in our area is particularly useful during SWEP as she can likely find   people quickly to ensure they are offered shelter.

This knowledge comes from her involvement in outreach – a team of support workers and PCSOs who go out at various times of the day, often as early as 7am, to visit places in the area where rough sleepers are known to stay.  This multi-disciplinary team includes the police, the council, With You (a substance and alcohol addiction support service), Navigo, and Harbour Place.

For people who immediately accept help, team members will offer support through places such as Harbour Place where they will make an appointment to meet a support worker to see how they can get back on their feet. There will also be support for those who are unable or don’t want to go into a building to find help.

Liz works from Harbour Place several times a week and has her own appointments – supporting people with a whole range of support, from learning to budget, to accessing skills and training, accessing dentists, GPS, and mental health support.

“I also use my time to catch those we don’t find on outreach. A lot of people who I work with will go to Harbour Place regularly to get the hot breakfast. This works well as I’m then able to chat to them after they’ve eaten and see what they need and how I can help.”

When Liz isn’t on outreach or working from Harbour Place, she is normally at the Municipal Offices where she attends strategic meetings to manage the support within the community for rough sleepers.

The aim of Liz’s job is to end the cycle of rough sleeping for as many people as she can. This means she needs to work with the homeless team, and their partners, to create a holistic and long-term approach to the issue.

Liz also works closely with the local foodbanks – ensuring rough sleepers can access suitable food – and local medical and addiction services.

In addition, she takes all the StreetLink alerts. StreetLink is a website to report people sleeping on the streets so they can get help. When Liz receives an alert, she’ll either go out to locate the person herself, or send it to the outreach team. Once the person has been located and identified, the team can offer support.

Liz said: “StreetLink is the best way you can help a rough sleeper. These people will receive food from the foodbanks and are usually on benefits, so the best thing you can do is to refer them to services that will give them the support they need. Plus, you don’t even have to interact with them, as long as we have basic details on where they are and any identifying information, you can help them from afar.

“You can also request feedback from any alert you make, so you will know exactly what we’ve done to help the individual.”

The work of Liz, her colleagues and partners is supported by North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Stewart Swinburn, who said: “I would personally like to thank all of our staff, and those of our partners, who continue to work to reduce the number of rough sleepers we see. It is also appreciated just how complex this issue is.

“People who find themselves on the streets often do so because of a wide variety of issues and these will not be solved by simply finding accommodation. Long-term solutions will involve so much more.”

An alert can be made on StreetLink - Connecting people sleeping rough to local services If you, or someone you know needs support around their housing situation, please ring 01472 326296.