By Cllr Jason Brock
It’s my experience that people in Reading have always shown great empathy to those who find themselves in difficulty. It’s something I thought about last week when the annual count of rough sleepers was published.
That spirit of empathy and compassion is something the local Council has always mirrored when it comes to supporting people who, for whatever reason, find themselves bedding down on Reading’s streets for the night.
Our offer goes well above and beyond those of most local authorities.
It may surprise you to know that our level of provision for rough sleepers, across statutory and Council-funded voluntary sector services, amount to 274 bed spaces. In theory at least, that means no one should be sleeping rough on the streets of Reading.
The reality, though, is that offers of support and of a bed for the night are very often refused. Rough sleeping is a complex issue and there can be a number of reasons for refusal.
In terms of the local figures released last week, they show that 36 people were rough sleeping on Reading streets on a particular night, up from 22 the previous year.
It’s a rise which is mirrored nationally, with 3,069 people founding sleeping outside on a single night – an increase of 26% on the previous year.
Putting aside the fact that different councils apply different rationale when submitting rough sleeping figures – in Reading, for example, we include those people we’re aware of having slept rough previously, even if they were not counted on the particular night – there are clear reasons for the increase.
At the height of the pandemic, initiatives like ‘Everyone In’ helped councils to keep people off the streets. This national scheme no longer exists. Then there is also the inevitable impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
What’s interesting about the Reading figures this year is that, out of the total of 36 counted rough sleeping, 25 (or more than two thirds) either had no connection to Reading or had no recourse to public funds.
The remaining 11 had a connection to Reading, were known to the Council and its partners, and had been provided with support to move away from rough sleeping – either with an immediate accommodation offer or given priority for forthcoming temporary or supported accommodation bed spaces. As I say, offers of help are not always taken up.
It is likely, of course, that our significant level of support for rough sleepers attracts people to Reading from other areas, where their local council does not offer the same level of support. There was also a time in the recent past when we know that other local councils would direct people sleeping rough in their areas to go to Reading, although I am assured that is no longer the case.
To address the issue of rough sleepers with no local connection, the Council is now investing in more resources and staff to help those sleeping rough to reconnect with their hometown where they are eligible for support, or towards support for settled status where this is necessary.
This extra resource includes a new post created to work intensively with people who do not hold an immigration status and have limited access to public funds, directing them toward support available. A cross-Berkshire strategic role has also been created to support the reconnection of people sleeping rough in Reading to our neighbour local authorities.
Thanks to (another) successful Council bid for external funding, we are building on existing provision for rough sleepers, includes an expanded Housing First service to make at least 20 properties available for those with multiple and complex needs.
That is in addition to two existing centres which directly provide those rough sleeping with the stability, warmth, and new start they need to get their lives back on track – The Nova Project (a specialist women-only supported accommodation provision) and our 40 modular homes on Caversham Road, which come with 24-hour wraparound care to help people break the cycle of rough sleeping.
We commission our charity partner St Mungo’s to provide the onsite care and support needed to help residents at these two facilities work towards an independent future.
And beyond all of this, we are in the process of delivering Reading’s largest Council house building programme in a generation, creating 400 new affordable homes between 2021 and 2026. We know this doesn’t solve the problem on its own, but it does help to ease the pressure on a growing housing register and give people some hope of one day having a place of their own to call home.
Finally, if you are concerned about anyone you think might be sleeping rough, call Street Link on 0300 500 0914, or go to www.streetlink.org.
And if you, or someone you know, is at risk of rough sleeping or ending up sofa surfing, please let our Homelessness Prevention Team know by contacting our Housing Advice Service (call 0118 937 2165 or email housing.advice@reading.gov.uk)
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council, and Labour ward member for Southcote
