FOI request (FOIR-165486601)

Rough sleepers

Requested Fri 03 January 2020
Responded  Wed 19 February 2020

Under the Freedom of Information Act, please could you answer the following questions regarding rough sleepers in your area.

1. How many individual rough sleepers have been identified in your area during the calendar year 2019 (January to December)?

2. If known, how many individual rough sleepers have been identified in your area during the calendar years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018? Please provide an answer for any of those years for which you have data.

3. If available, how many of the rough sleepers identified during 2019 were found accommodation?

4. Please could you explain or link to what your authority does to identify rough sleepers and assist them to come off the streets?

Please note in the questions above I do not wish you to use your single autumn night snapshot figure that you provide to the government as part of the annual rough sleeping statistics published by MHCLG. I would like to know about the total number of individuals identified throughout the year.

However, if you have that snapshot figure available and are willing to disclose it now, please do so in addition to answering the above questions, which cover individuals identified throughout the years.

By 'individual rough sleepers' I want to know about the number of people who were identified as rough sleepers, regardless of whether they were identified as sleeping rough once or at various points in the year. For example, if someone was identified as having slept rough once I would like them to be included. If someone slept rough on two or more occasions, punctuated by a period of not sleeping rough, I would like them to be included.

Response

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

Q1 - Hastings Jan - Dec 2019 was 359; this includes 117 unknowns (this is approx. 33% of verified rough sleepers).

Q2 - Information not held - the official count information is published on www.gov.uk

Q3 - Those verified rough sleepers who were found accommodation in Hastings over the course of 2019 was 76 according (including housing first, temporary accommodation, supported accommodation etc) but does not include any emergency placements (e.g. SWEP).

Q4 - The council commissions twice weekly outreach sessions through its community partnership fund. The council also employs a dedicated housing options officer to work with rough sleepers.

Information about the services commissioned through the Rough Sleeping Initiative and Rapid Rehousing Pathway in 2019/20 are available at https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=130&MId=3070&Ver=4. A directory of local services is also available at https://www.hastings.gov.uk/housing/vulnerable/rough_sleepers/.

The council has secured funding to continue the work of the Rough Sleeping Initiative and Rapid Rehousing Pathway in 2020/21 and a report will be submitted to Cabinet in March.