Sharp rise in rough sleeping in Chichester and Arun: “It’s a shocking indictment of our society”

In Chichester, there were 31 people sleeping rough on a single night in 2019, compared to just 16 in 2018 – marking an increase of 94 per cent.

In Arun, the figure for 2019 was 28, up from 18 in 2018, constituting a rise of 56 per cent.

For both areas, the number for 2019 was the highest recorded since figures were first gathered in this way by the Government in 2010.

All local authorities across England take an autumn snapshot of people sleeping rough on a single night, using either a count-based estimate of visible rough sleeping, an evidence-based estimate meeting with local agencies or other methods.

The figure does not include people in hostels or shelters or sofa surfers.

‘A shocking indictment of our society’

Hilary Bartle, the chief executive of Stonepillow, a homeless charity which operates across both districts, said the charity was ‘quite shocked’ by the high numbers.

She said: “In a sense we were conscious that the numbers were increasing, we work as part of the homelessness forum across Chichester and also across Bognor.

“We were aware through the contacts we have and through the number of people coming into our own service.

“But we were quite surprised at just how many.”

Within 48 hours of the figures being gathered, she said the charity had been able to house four people at their services.

Ms Bartle said that, in general, homelessness figures had risen across the country since 2010.

She said: “It’s a shocking indictment of our society that we have such high numbers of people sleeping rough.

“We are faced with problems due to austerity measures that came in [back] in 2010 and cuts to funding in the NHS, the local authority, and mental health provision, drug and alcohol support.

“The consequences of that, along with Universal Credit, has meant that people struggle to maintain their accommodation and end up with rough sleeping as their only option, or sleeping in cars or in tents, or other insecure provision.

“So it’s essential that services like ours continue to be supported by the local community, and it’s amazing the support we get.”

She said the biggest issue in the south of country was a lack of affordable housing.

“If these buildings and these permanent homes for people who are on Universal Credit or other welfare systems are not there, then there will always be a homelessness crisis,” she said.

There has been an increase in rough sleeping across West Sussex, she said, except in Worthing which has benefitted from an increase in temporary accommodation.

A national trend

Commenting on the figures, a spokesman for Arun District Council said the rise in rough sleepers reflected the national picture.

This winter, the council provided two winter night shelters in partnership with the charities Turning Tides and Stonepillow, one in Littlehampton and one in Bognor Regis. 

The spokesman said: “These shelters have been busy since opening.”

The homeless population in Arun may be more visible than in other areas because the high streets in the towns are very small, the spokesman said.

Town centres are the safest areas to be in as they are well-lit, visible and there is CCTV, the spokesman said.

When it comes to helping rough sleepers, the spokesman said: “We operate a partnership approach in tackling rough sleeping in the district that involves focusing on a holistic approach to assess every aspect of a person’s circumstances, which are often much more complex than just being housed.

“For many of our clients, their problems make it hard for them to sustain a tenancy and they need intensive support.

“To ensure that every individual gets the right expert support, we work with a whole range of partners, including several council services, physical and mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment services, probation, domestic abuse services, police, registered homeless charities and adult social care.”

‘Dedication and perseverance’ to help those in need

Chichester District Council said its Rough Sleeper Panel, which meets each month, keeps a record of all known rough sleepers in the area.

This information is used as the basis for the informed count provided to the Government each year.

Commenting on the increase in numbers, a spokesman said: “Over the past year, we have had new resources which mean that we are monitoring this on a daily basis so this has had an impact on the figures.

“Also, we have seen an increase in the number of foreign nationals that are coming into the city.”

The spokesman said the council was committed to making sure that nobody has to sleep rough in the Chichester district, and said: “Every day, our dedicated outreach workers offer support to all rough sleepers, helping them to access accommodation and the services that they need.

“Their dedication and perseverance has meant that lives have been changed.

“Many of those who have accepted support are now in accommodation and getting back into work. Others are engaging with services and starting to turn their lives around.

“For a variety of reasons, unfortunately not everyone will accept our help – but this does not stop us continuing to offer it.”

New funding to help ‘vital work’ continue

An injection of funds and some pioneering new projects will help boost ongoing efforts to tackle rough sleeping in the area.

Chichester District Council has successfully bid for £230,465 of funding from the Government’s Rough Sleeper initiative, which will help it further expand its outreach work.

The grant will also help the homeless charity Stonepillow open its Chichester Hub seven days a week.

Councillor Eileen Lintill, leader of Chichester District Council, said: “Rough sleeping is something that we all want to reduce and combat.

“As a council we are working closely with our partners, charities and community groups to help prevent rough sleeping in a variety of ways, and this grant will help us to build on this vital work even further.

“In particular, it will enable us to increase our outreach work, which has been making a significant difference.”

The council is also moving forward with a £2.1 million project to redevelop one of its properties to provide an additional 17 flats for people who are homeless.

The short-stay temporary accommodation in Freeland Close would serve as an extension of services currently provided at Westward House, which is run and managed by the council’s housing services.

A spokesman said: “If planning permission is granted, we hope that work will start on site later this year, with the accommodation ready for use by summer 2021.

“We know that this project will help make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Another scheme due to be rolled out in Chichester in April will help reduce inequalities in health for rough sleepers.

West Sussex was one of just six areas awarded more than £340,000 in funding for a pilot scheme – the Hospital Admissions Referral Pathway (HARP) – following a successful application to Public Health England led by Stonepillow.

The scheme will help to improve the links between hospitals and homeless services, in order to improve health outcomes.

Ms Bartle said the average age of death for a rough sleeper is just 47 years old, which is far below that of the general population.

Triage nurses will work with the rough sleeping team out on the streets to help people most in need, while housing support officers will be placed in hospitals to ensure people have accommodation to move into when they leave the ward.

Ms Bartle said it was ‘really good news’ to be part of the pilot project, adding: “All eyes from the Government will be on how this works.”

Local authorities will also receive an additional £880,117 to tackle rough sleeping this year – news which was welcomed by Andrew Griffith, the MP for Arundel and South Downs.

It comes as the Government announced that councils will receive a share of an additional £112 million through the Rough Sleeping Initiative to help get people off the streets and in to safe and secure accommodation.

An additional £236 million will also fund ‘move on’ accommodation for up to 6,000 rough sleepers.

Mr Griffith said: “I am delighted that funding to tackle rough sleeping in Arun, Chichester, Horsham and Mid Sussex will increase to £880,117 this year.

“This Conservative Government has shown it is absolutely determined to end rough sleeping, and I was especially pleased to see the government bring forward its target of achieving this from 2027 to 2024 at the last election.

“There is still a lot more we can do, and I’ll be working with the council and local organisations to ensure the additional funds are spent locally in the most effective way, so that no one in our area has to sleep out in the cold this winter.”

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