Rough sleepers

Hastings Borough Council and other agencies work closely to understand and meet the needs of rough sleepers in Hastings.

What to do if you are concerned about someone rough sleeping

If you see someone rough sleeping and have concerns about them, you can contact the national Streetlink Service. It is a service that exists to help end rough sleeping:

• via Streetlink service
• or download the app on your smartphone.

It will automatically trigger an alert to outreach services to:

• check on the welfare of the person rough sleeping
• to offer them support and advice.

In case of an emergency

If someone is unwell or distressed please call 999.

Don't put yourself in danger or approach someone acting strangely, even to help that person.

Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI)

In October 2018, Hastings and Eastbourne councils received funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to work with partners to:

• improve the accessibility of services to the most entrenched rough sleeper
• improve access to support services
• improve access to temporary accommodation
• improve access to long-term housing solutions.

The funding was later extended to Lewes, Rother and Wealden councils too and the RSI now covers all East Sussex.

The RSI carries out early morning outreach sessions on behalf of the council, twice a week, usually between 4am and 7am.

The RSI has a team of dedicated multi-disciplinary specialists who support clients depending on need. This team includes:

• psychiatric nurse
• social worker
• housing specialist
• substance misuse specialist
• community mental health workers
• nurses.

Referrals to the service can be made via the council's housing options team. To access the RSI for the Hastings area, please go to our I'm at risk of being or already am homeless webpage.

Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP)

The Council continues to deliver a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in accordance with national guidance from Homeless Link. This protocol has two key aims:

• to ensure that no one dies on the streets due to extreme weather
• to ensure that every effort is made to engage with individuals during the extreme weather period so that they can access appropriate services.

There is no single definition of severe weather - any conditions that increase the risk of harm to people sleeping rough can be classed as severe. This includes extreme cold, wind, snow, rain and heat.

SWEP will be activated in Hastings during severe weather conditions and will be published on our website and social media sites. Other local services will also be aware when SWEP is activated.

To access SWEP:

• call our Housing Options Team on 01424 451100 during normal office hours
• or outside of office hours call 01424 451999.

Other local services for rough sleepers

There are other local services available for people who are rough sleeping or sofa surfing.

You can find details of the majority of local services on the Street Sheet Smartsheet.