What are we doing to help people who sleep rough?
Ryedale does not have visible street homelessness, however in 2020/2021 our staff worked with 57 people who were sleeping rough or at risk of rough sleeping in the area.
We have a dedicated rough sleeper coordinator who offers intense support to find suitable and safe accommodation, support for physical and mental health issues and general day to day support. If you or know anyone who is sleeping rough please contact street link on 0300 500 0914.
If anyone is sleeping rough, we help them find safer, settled accommodation. We do this in many different ways.
‘No Second Night Out’
This is a project that aims to make sure nobody has to spend a second night sleeping rough. We work together with other groups to make sure we can achieve this.
How does it work?
- If someone is sleeping rough, we try to make sure they are helped off the streets immediately. We do this to keep them safe.
- We ask the general public to help us by letting us know if they think someone is sleeping rough
- We help rough sleepers to find somewhere safe to go so we can find out what they need and find them some safer options
- We help them find emergency accommodation and other services, such as healthcare, if they need it
- We encourage them to be reunite with their local community, unless there’s a good reason why they should remain apart (for example safety reasons)
- We aim to find them suitable accommodation within seven days of assessment
- Sometimes, the accommodation may be outside Ryedale, depending on their needs, local connection, support network and the availability of accommodation.
How do we identify rough sleepers?
Our Housing Options Team and Rough Sleeper Coordinator work with other local groups and the local police to let people know how to get help for someone sleeping rough.
You can contact our team on the main council number 01653 600666 during office hours or through our out of hours emergency contact number 01653 697737.
You can send an email to housing@ryedale.gov.uk you can also refer online through our online portal.
You can also contact Streetlink on 0300 500 0914 or submit an Enquiry Form.
How do we assess someone’s needs?
Usually, we arrange to meet them for a chat at our council building in Malton. We can also arrange to meet somewhere else, if that’s easier. We always aim to meet them the day after they have been referred to us, whenever possible.
The Housing options team then refer the person over to the Rough Sleeper coordinator who will work alongside housing team and give intense support to rough sleepers.
Is there any emergency accommodation?
We don’t have any hostels in Ryedale but our housing team may be able to find suitable emergency accommodation. This may be a B and B in the local, or surrounding areas.
What information, advice and support do we offer?
We offer a full assessment, provide advice about different housing options and refer anyone who is sleeping rough to our rough sleeper coordinator. They may then be able to move into private rented accommodation or apply for social housing. Depending on what they need, we may also put them in touch with other people for support.
Reuniting people with their communities
If someone is sleeping rough and has no local connection to Ryedale, we can help them to reconnect with another district in the United Kingdom or abroad.