John Baker is a Senior Officer in the council's Communications team. Last week he went out with officers from the council's Homeless Outreach team to find out more about the work that they do to support people who are homeless off the streets.
Peterborough City Council’s rough sleeper outreach team goes out at all times of the day and night throughout the year, to help those on our streets - sometimes there will be no-one spotted but other times there will be dozens.
As part of the council’s comms team I went out last week in the early hours with Lorna and Marie in the darkness, in only a few degrees of warmth.
All of the people we will see in the next two hours have been reported to the council or a partner organisation, by members of the public, councillors, or elsewhere, and all have previously been offered help.
WE HAVE NOT USED REAL NAMES NOR EXACT LOCATIONS FOR THE ROUGH SLEEPERS.
What becomes immediately obvious is that the outreach team knows the name, and life and movement history of virtually everyone – years of care has built up a rapport and a level of tenderness, no matter the person’s circumstances or demeanour.
Rough sleepers will always be offered help, even if they’ve turned it down a thousand times before. Some have been aided multiple times but are struggling to leave the streets. Nearly all have addictions and/or mental health issues
Former rough sleepers can also often struggle with rules and day to day life admin, like making regular payments. At least one person Lorna knows of has been housed but sleeps on the floor next to his bed as a manifestation of his previous life.
Starting at 4am, the first location is a building on Lincoln Road which is subject to a closure order (an order prohibiting access to the premises). No-one is present on this occasion.
We then see a lady perhaps in her 30s sleeping in a pile of blankets at a bus stop. She has been on the streets for several years, but because of her lack of eligibility, she does not receive any benefits.
While the council and partners are actively engaging her to help gain status and have offered support for the eligibility application. But despite bringing in a doctor, drug and alcohol and mental health services, she has declined all assistance.
The outreach team continues to engage with her and encourage her to accept help. Worryingly, she can clearly be seen by pedestrians and drivers passing by – not that too many are present at this time.
We loop past B&Q in Maskew Avenue which is clear, before a longer drive to a graveyard in a village. The torches pick out the blue and red tent of Veronica, who has been living against a wall and has declined help. She is cheerful and says she doesn’t need help today either.
Then on to a doorway where there are four people huddled across the entrance. They report various health issues and problems that they have had with neighbours in other locations, but are all generally OK.
Three individuals have been provided with street-to-home pathways, along with advice and guidance. All are known to various partner services - one has their own accommodation and was advised to return there.
The next stop is a patch of trees. We hear Aleks before we see him, via tinny pop tunes from an old radio in the bushes.
He is happy for a chat, frosty breath in the air, piles of extinguished wood nearby. He tells us with a smile on his face that he was offered help and a coffee earlier this week. He is a newcomer to the patch – last week when the council first approach him, he emerged with a stick, wary of the intentions of these strangers.
Further on is Trevor, who has returned to the area after he left to seek ‘better help elsewhere’. It seems he was unsuccessful. All Lorna and Marie can do is ask him if he needs assistance, which they do with grace despite his obvious misgivings. The roar of vehicles pass by from the parkways only yards away.
The last stop-off is a patch of dense woodland and it scarcely seems believable that someone would be here. But a dismal muddy trudge across a cabbage field leads to the trees, and a tent in the dark distance.
Lorna calls out to Oleg and there is no response. A check on his wellbeing will therefore be needed, but the recent rainfall has filled a deep surrounding ditch – meaning we will need to get there via a diversion through a different entrance, past vines and branches and thorns.
The tent is thankfully empty, but clothes hanging on washing lines suggest this won’t be the case for long. We leave the site undisturbed, nothing more to do.
I am dropped back home after two hours, but Lorna and Marie still have journeys out to Flag Fen and a lorry tonight. As a newcomer for the morning, it’s difficult not to get emotional at the work they do, and their positivity. It's often said that we are all only two pay cheques away from becoming homeless - none of the people I encountered probably ever imagined it would happen to them.
Peterborough City Council is often criticised for the number of homeless people on the streets, with residents asking why more is not done to help them. The results of this morning show that the council and its partners are doing as much as they can, even while we are all asleep – inside or outside.
The team work with various services across the city to help provide this support to rough sleepers, this includes Aspire, dual diagnoses mental health team, GPs, Outside Links and the Garden House along with many more.
Every rough sleeper is given a street to home pathway regardless of status and are supported regardless of status. We identify any barriers and look at removing these through support from the rough sleeper team and partner agencies.
We tailor the pathway to the individual so for example if no status this could be us applying for status, taking to embassy to get passport to enable them to work and then discuss the most suitable accommodation move on according to their needs.
We encourage anyone who wants to support rough sleepers to leave the streets to donate money to Safer off the Streets rather than giving money directly.
All SOS funds raised will be given as grants to partner organisations across the city, for projects that enhance existing provision and/or create new ways to support rough sleepers and the homeless.
More information can be found here: www.saferoffthestreets.co.uk