Good practice guide for businesses to help homeless people in Brighton & Hove

Charities supporting rough sleepers in Brighton & Hove include:

Brighton & Hove is a caring city. Thank you for helping us to help vulnerable people in need.

Supported by:

“We gradually build up trusting relationships, working with people to offer them routes out of homelessness and towards recovery”Sarah MitchellOutreach Manager, St Mungo’s

Homelessness charities and support services across Brighton & Hove are working together to help vulnerable people move off our streets.

2,000 people are helped by homeless services in our city each year.

Approximately 1,800 of those people are successfully prevented from sleeping rough thanks to support networks. Support workers are dedicated to helping people off the streets.

The reasons people end up rough sleeping are very complex. The main causes of homelessness can happen to anyone, including the end of a tenancy, losing a job, relationship breakdown or bereavement.

The average age of death for rough sleepers is 47 years for men and 43 for women. Rough sleepers are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health, social isolation and are often vulnerable to substance misuse. People on the streets experience violence, sexual assault, theft of belongings, bullying, exploitation and even arson attacks.

You can help us by advising your employees and customers to alert support services to rough sleepers. Contact StreetLink online www.streetlink.org.uk or call 0300 500 0914 if you are worried about a rough sleeper. The details you give assist outreach workers connect with people to provide vital help and advice.

Rough sleeping

Begging

Begging on the streets of Brighton & Hove is visible to residents and visitors. Although a proportion of the beggars are not rough sleeping, most people agree they are all vulnerable and need to be supported. However, aggressive begging and anti-social behaviour from the street community is not acceptable to the wider community and needs to be deterred.

Evidence shows that giving directly to someone who is begging does not necessarily help them away from the streets. Giving money may well support a drug or alcohol addiction, which can cause serious health issues and premature death. Handing money over to someone may also divert them from engaging in support and prolong them living on the streets. Donating to dedicated charities is a viable alternative (see Make Change Count campaign overleaf).

This issue is being addressed through a multi-agency approach from the Council, NHS, Police and a network of homeless support charities. Businesses across the city can help too.

Begging within the ‘street community’ and rough sleeping are different issues.

• Giving online, for example the Make Change Count campaign, sends money directly to support services

• Contact the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency, if someone is aggressively begging or displaying anti-social behaviour (ASB) on your property

• If you are a business in the Business Improvement District (BID), you can inform the City Centre Ambassadors of any aggressive begging or ASB

• If you notice drug litter then you can report this to be cleaned up to cityclean@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 292929

• More information about services is available on the local Street Sheet available from Project Antifreeze antifreeze@offthefence.org.uk

Effective action from businessesYou can help by:

• To share information and alert outreach workers to someone you are concerned about contact StreetLink on 0300 500 0914

• Encourage staff and the public to contact StreetLink as their first action

• Report anti-social behaviour related to rough sleepers or street drinkers by contacting the Community Safety Casework Team on 01273 292735 or online to communitysafety.casework@brighton-hove.gcsx.gov.uk or www.safeinthecity.info

• Reassure members of staff and the public that there is a network of support services across Brighton & Hove helping vulnerable people

Make Change CountHomeless charities look after vulnerable people in our city 24 hours a day, all year round, providing a wide range of essential services and support.

Donating online and by text provides both practical support and long term solutions far more effectively than giving on the streets. You can help save and rebuild lives by donating today.

The charities that support Make Change Count offer homeless people the following services:

• Hot meals, shower and wash amenities, laundry facilities at day centres

• Outreach services and advice

• Support and housing for under young people (under 26s)

• Medical help and advice

• Financial advice and help with housing applications

• Access to the internet, training and work opportunities

Please donate now:

Text 19UMCC 3, 5, 10 or 20 to 70085 for a £3, £5, £10 or £20 donation bit.ly/makechangecount2019

Brighton & Hove

Supported by:

Help us help others, by giving to charity not on the street.

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