Helping The Homeless At Christmas

I recently passed on details of a homeless person a resident and I had seen sleeping rough on the Oxford Road.  The council have processes in place to reach out to the homeless and I thought I'd share the details in case you see someone in need of help.

This is a year round service but help is more urgent when temperatures plummet.  Here's what the team do:

We commission our Street Outreach Team to engage with rough sleepers and support them into housing and treatment services. 

Even where an individual is already known to us, it is still important for us to be aware of exactly where people are sleeping so that we are able to find them and sustain their engagement with our work to help them off of the streets and their health and safety can be monitored. We encourage businesses and members of the public to report any concerns about rough sleeping.

People can make reports of rough sleepers and rough sleeping sites to us, directly to our Street Outreach Team either by email to streetconcern@mungos.org or by telephone on 0118 958 5002.

Winter Watch

There's talk of snow!  The Countryfile weather forecast hinted about something 'atmospheric' being on the horizon and @MEschoolweather (see here) tweeted a picture today forecasting snow at the beginning of next week.  Winter has been fairly mild so far but a cold snap is rarely far away and some of Reading's residents may find it difficult to stay warm and safe.

I have popped a button top right that links to a leaflet about Winter Watch which gives advice on how to stay warm and what help is available to those at risk.  The picture below will also link to the leaflet.  Please share this information and help keep people warm should temperatures plummet.

Please also remember help for the homeless is also available during very cold weather and you can find out more here.

Severe Weather Emergency Provision

We are facing more cold weather so this information could prove useful.

Launchpad: http://www.launchpadreading.org.uk/

St Mungo's: http://www.mungos.org/services/where_we_work/reading

'Reading Borough Council Press Release

As in previous years, homeless people who find themselves on the streets in Reading are to be offered emergency extra beds during severe cold weather this winter.

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is a partnership arrangement between Reading Borough Council, Launchpad, Hamble Court, the Salvation Army, Waylen Street and St Mungo's that has existed for many years and is activated whenever the Met Office forecasts three nights or more with a minimum temperature of 0°C or below.

During this time, St Mungo's coordinate extra accommodation in the communal areas of Reading's homeless hostels for anyone who would otherwise be sleeping rough.

St Mungo's are commissioned by Reading Borough Council to provide a street outreach team to support rough sleepers and assist them in moving into appropriate accommodation. During the cold weather, St Mungo's use the opportunity to engage with homeless people who may have been previously reluctant to access accommodation and support services.

In addition, this year Launchpad will be coordinating a breakfast drop-in for the use of SWEP clients. This will provide further opportunity for the St Mungo's team to assess and engage with homeless people and encourage them to access support service available.

Last year, over the winter period, 46 people were offered SWEP accommodation and only 5 refused. 40% of those accommodated in SWEP were from outside of the Borough. When St Mungo's carried out analysis in May of this year, they found that 28 (57% of those offered) of the homeless that had engaged with SWEP had gone on to find settled accommodation.

Reading Borough Council's Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods and Housing, Rachel Eden, said: "Reading can be proud of the work that the Council, St Mungo's and the rest of the voluntary sector do in partnership all year round to support rough sleepers and help them back into accommodation; but particularly, as the nights draw in, I'd urge anyone who knows of a rough sleeper to contact St Mungo's or the Council so that they can make contact. During any prolonged cold weather, emergency measures are put in place and this can help people access services that can make a long term difference.'

Anyone concerned about a rough sleeper at any time of the year in Reading should contact Street Concern on 0118 9585002 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm or email streetconcern@mungos.org'