Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Advisor on Supporting Rough Sleepers.

This report explores and sets out recommendations on supporting rough sleepers through a public health approach, with a particular focus on those with long-term health conditions, mental health conditions and struggling with substance misuse.

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Adviser on Supporting Rough Sleepers, which was introduced by Councillor Richard Cotton, Cabinet Adviser on Supporting Rough Sleepers, and he gave the following key responses to questions:

·       The response to helping Rough Sleepers during the Covid Pandemic had shown how the issue could be dealt with when resources were fully available. Here the Council had used the Britannia Hotel in Hampstead as a Covid-protect site to accommodate up to 107 single homeless residents. The project was supervised by a multi-disciplinary team  (MDT) comprising the Housing charity, Single Homeless Project; UCLH (University College London Hospital) discharge nurses who were triaging residents; a Camden and Islington Focus Homeless team undertaking mental health assessments; Camden’s Substance Misuse Service who were providing drug and alcohol assessments; the Camden Health Improvement Practice (CHIP) GP practice conducted video and face to face assessments; a Local Authority Move on Coordinator, to help people move on to more suitable accommodation and reconnecting people to home areas; a UCLH Find and Treat Team to undertake Covid testing as well as HIV, Hepatitis and TB screening and a Pharmacist delivering methadone on site to those not in treatment with Camden & Islington NHS Trust. The project was a near total success with only one person from the whole cohort becoming infected. A new national and London wide approach was required, which needed the funding levels provided during the Covid Pandemic.

·       Faith groups and the voluntary sector played an important role in seeking to help rough sleepers and all public agencies involved had to work together to get the best outcome for individuals.

·       Most rough sleepers did not chose this life style and it was noticeable that most people living on the streets had suffered some sort of personal trauma that had led them to where they were now. The impact of personal trauma was something that had to be considered as part of any future programme of support.

·       Rough sleepers suffered abuse, mental health issues, hygiene poverty and these issues also needed to be taken into account in seeking to help them.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted and that the recommendations outlined by the Cabinet Adviser on Supporting Rough Sleepers, which would be reported to Cabinet by the Cabinet Member as set out below, be endorsed by the scrutiny committee:

·       Noting the success of the approach adopted in the pandemic, to continue to press central government for the necessary levels of funding to eliminate rough sleeping for good;

·       Supporting preventing homelessness before individuals get to the point where they must rough sleep. This included increasing awareness among communities as to who they could go to if they felt they may be made homelessness so that early intervention could take place;

·       Explore ways to address hidden homelessness across the borough;

·       To continue to drive forward the Homeless System Transformation, bringing system partners together to deliver a more integrated approach for rough sleepers, working alongside the Housing Service Transformation;

·       Ensure that all those working with people experiencing rough sleeping were trauma-informed and provide the necessary training for this;

·       To provide a building similar to the Solidarity Hub in Islington that could be run by voluntary sector organizations with different voluntary organizations (e.g. Streets Kitchen, C4WS) responsible for running it and having a presence on different days of the week. If this was not possible, Camden should work with voluntary and community organisations to make use of the RTS Hub;

·       To look at ways of minimizing bureaucracy and minimizing the number of assessments a rough sleeper had to go through, for example by increased use of ‘trusted assessments’ between partner agencies;

·       The recent announcement of an extra nurse for the health care team was welcome but the fortnightly clinics in homeless hostels should ideally be rolled out to all rough sleepers, and not just to those already in hostels. This would assist rough sleepers in navigating the health care system.

·       Commission a worker to cater for the particular needs of the LGBTIQ+ community, perhaps in partnership with other London boroughs.

·       To look at the impact of gambling as an additional contributory factor causing homelessness along with drug and alcohol abuse. It was also an addiction yet there had been little study of its impact on homelessness;

·       Seek government funding for initiatives to improve the way the public makes referrals when they see a person sleeping rough (something the government says will be available). Most people want to help but do not know how to. Many do not know about the App and Telephone numbers. A public information campaign could include advertising at bus stops, doctors’ surgeries and libraries and a campaign could be run with the local press. This would help include the wider public in helping people experiencing rough sleeping; and

·       Review the way the numbers of rough sleepers were counted as there was a significant difference in the numbers found in bi-monthly street counts and those identified on the Streets Kitchen outreach.