Sleeping rough is harmful and dangerous and there should be no place for it in a civilised city like London in the 21^st century. Rough sleepers deserve and need far more than just soup and sympathy. The Mayor’s London Delivery Board is leading on ending rough sleeping in London and its membership reflects determined commitment to end rough sleeping across central, regional and local government, the Metropolitan Police and the voluntary sector. The Mayor’s work on this started in London in 2008 and is intended to bring a sustainable end to rough sleeping not just sweep people out of view for a few weeks

This project has been specifically designed to test approaches to reaching new rough sleepers and helping them leave the streets as quickly as possible. Other projects to tackle long term rough sleeping or to reduce the number of people who return to rough sleeping after previously leaving it behind are on-going and not affected by this project.

The project focuses on reconnecting people back to their own area where they have more social capital and more chance of qualifying for accommodation. It must be emphasised, however, that people aren’t being forced back into a situation where they are being abused and from which they had been escaping. Stringent checks are made at the assessment hub to find out if people will be at risk if reconnected. If new rough sleepers have support needs there is help provided by the Reconnections Team and time is taken to ensure that relevant care/support is available back in their home area.

It is up to local authorities to determine which of the various powers available to them could usefully assist them in tackling rough sleeping. Many will continue with an assertive approach to outreach and some enforcement measures will continue to be used. We have seen many positive examples of how such an approach has been used to successfully help people get their lives back on track and many former rough sleepers tell us that more assertive approaches helped them face up to the chronic situation they were stuck in.

People from the European Economic Area (EEA) who have been in the country for longer than three months have to be working, studying or self-sufficient in order to have a right to stay. If they are not, or if they are involved in persistent criminal behaviour, the UK Border Agency can deport or administratively remove them. In the last year, the UK Border Agency has been exercising these powers in a number of areas around the UK, including some parts of London, where a small number of rough sleepers from EEA countries have been causing problems for the local community. Generally the preferred approach of local authorities is to assist EEA rough sleepers to return home voluntarily and a dedicated outreach team exists for this purpose, but where this offer is refused, the UK Border Agency may take removal action as a last resort.

We believe that rough sleeping is harmful and dangerous and as should not be seen as an acceptable situation for anyone. To help us contact new rough sleepers we require the public to be our eyes and ears on the street so we are asking residents, businesses and visitors to help us to reach rough sleepers quicker than we do already. A twenty-four hour rough sleeping referral phone line and website have been set up in order for people to report rough  sleepers when they are seen on the street. This allows us to receive intelligence about where people are sleeping rough around the clock and make sure that an outreach worker can follow up on that intelligence and  can offer to get that person to a place of safety as quickly as possible. Currently around 30% of all new rough sleepers go on to have a second (or third or fourth) night on the streets and  we are seeking to reduce that figure substantially

Rough sleeping is harmful and risky to individuals, often resulting in a deterioration of mental and physical health and well-being. Our challenge has been to create better choices for people, suited to their individual needs and preferences, so that people choose to take up the offers of support that are made. In most cases rough sleeping is inherently harmful to the person sleeping rough, and is likely to be an indicator of wider issues around need or a lack of entitlement.

Only agreed borough outreach teams can refer directly into the assessment hub. Anyone can ring the rough sleeping telephone line to report that someone is sleeping rough. Calling this phone line does not guarantee  access into the hub, but we ensure all intelligence is passed onto teams 24/7. This phone line has added  to the options that already exist to refer rough sleepers into services and to further encourage members of the public to report and make referrals about people they are concerned may be sleeping rough. Intelligence and referrals received are passed onto outreach teams immediately so that they can be investigated and a decision made as to weather the individual needs to access the assessment hub. This decision lies primarily with the outreach worker and is determined on whether the individual found is new to rough sleeping i.e. not been met before.

Faith and community groups play an important role in ending rough sleeping in London. The project continuously seeks support from these groups in the delivery of the project, both in terms of providing resources and support at the Assessment Hub and communicating the No Second Night Out message to rough sleepers and the public. In order to publicise the rough sleeping referral line NSNO have printed posters which advertise the phone number and the website. These can be sent to faith and community groups as well as councils, libraries and businesses. We have also recruited over fifty volunteers based at the hub who help with number of vital roles to assist staff and help to contribute in supporting people away from the street.

The maximum capacity for the assessment hubs is around 25 people however it depends on the complexity of the client cases at the time, and how quickly a single service offer can be made. Clients are sometimes put into emergency accommodation whilst they  are awaiting a reconnection journey or a move into accommodation. The hub is not a night shelter, it is a place of safety that someone can be bought to 24/7. On arrival people are provided with an immediate assessment and then an alternative option to rough sleeping, which in most cases is a reconnection back to support and services or accommodation in their home area where they are eligible for services. Most often people are accompanied on a one to one basis to reconnect and advocacy is a main role that our staff play.  The assessment process begins an hour after a person arrives into the Hub , the verification of information within the hub can take some time and this depends on the level of engagement and complexity of the client presenting. However, the intention is that time spent at the hub is short and time limited and the aim is that all clients will be offered a credible single service offer.

Clients referred to the No Second Night Out hub are in no way prioritised by local authorities or fast tracked into temporary accommodation. We have evidence however that advocacy by NSNO staff makes a significant difference to an outcome for a client who had already approached their local authority. At times people have thought that by calling the rough sleeping referral line they will be guaranteed access into accommodation. This is not the case. Each person will be treated on a case by case basis and No Second Night Out will work closely with all parties concerned to ensure the best response based on each individuals needs and circumstances.

 A significant number of rough sleepers in London have limited access to public funds, with the biggest group within this number comprising of people from central and Eastern European states. The project works closely with existing reconnections services that specialise in supporting people from these countries to return home with dignity to some form of suitable accommodation. The project also works closely with the UK Border Agency.

 Outreach teams give a clear and consistent message that rough sleeping is dangerous and harmful and should be avoided at all costs. They explain that new rough sleepers found in London are accompanied to the NSNO assessment hub. If the person refuses to go or if a client attends the hub then abandons or refuses their single service offer, this is recorded on their CHAIN record which can be viewed by all teams and NSNO staff. If the client is met again through other services or on the streets the same SSO message is given and if taken up, they are worked with by the outreach team. Clients are not re-offered the hub or re-admitted into the hub if they have refused to attend or have abandoned. Depending on the timescale and individual client cases there are exceptions to this, for example if a client changes their decision within a few hours.

 The assessment hub is intended as an emergency facility with a very short length of stay. Staff at the hub will endeavour to reconnect people to their home area (or find them accommodation in one of the London boroughs if they have a local connection) within the shortest amount of time possible. If this is not possible and the individual is co-operating with the reconnections/accommodation process then further emergency accommodation is sought for them. If the person is not co-operating with the service offers that are made available then they are asked to leave the hub so that it does not become silted up with people who do not wish to make use of the services on offer.

The rough sleeping phone line was originally set up by Thames Reach’s London Street Rescue (LSR) team. It was set up to help LSR get reports of rough sleepers in the boroughs they covered across greater london. The LSR service response depended upon getting reports about people sleeping rough because of the wide geographic area the team has to cover. When No Second Night Out was launched in April 2011, the number was adopted as part of the pilot. Today the same single telephone nuber (0870 3833333) is being publicised and used across London to help the public to report rough sleeping when they see it. It is part of the overall No Second Night Out response. Calling the phone line does not guarantee a referral into the No Second Night Out project. The phone line takes reports of anyone sleeping rough, they will not necessarily be new to the street.

Increased public reporting to the phone line will help increase the chances of getting to ‘new’ rough sleepers more rapidly, a public telephone line is also one way of increasing public awareness about rough sleeping and getting them to do something about it. No Second Night Out wants to increase the chance of new rough sleepers being met by outreach teams on the ground and having a public reporting line is one way this can be achieved. The sooner we know someone may be sleeping rough the quicker we can send a team to check it out.

All sorts of people use the phone line. It was set up to encourage members of the public to use it rather than ignore the fact that someone is sleeping rough and rather than the public dial 999. Currently public services such as the ambulance service and the police, report people when they see them on the street. People sleeping rough also use it to report themselves, taxi drivers, TFL staff, Day centre staff, general public who google what to do etc.
Many calls are from people who have not yet slept rough but are about to be made homeless or are at risk of sleeping rough for the first time. These calls can be challenging because this is not the purpose behind the service and it was not set up or resourced to provide in depth housing and prevention advice, but the phone operators do what they can to direct callers to services that are better suited to help in these situations.

The service is currently operated by Thames Reach and No Second Night Out. Both projects cover answering the phone line 24/7. It is staffed by workers from both projects as well as over 60 trained volunteers. The intention is for each call to be answered by a person rather than by an answering machine. When calls are directed to an answering machine it is because the staff are busy on another call. Because the line is 24/7 any messages get picked up quickly and the staff call back straight away.

You will be asked a number of questions about the report you would like to make. The main question will be the exact location of the person sleeping rough. This bit of information is the most crucial. Without it outreach teams cannot make contact with the individual sleeping rough. You will also be given a reference number that is unique to that referral, this is so if you call again we can look up the report that has been made and also provide feedback to you once the teams on the ground have investigated the report. We take a general description if you have one but do not need any personnel details of the individual. We do not expect the public to go and ask the person any questions, this is the job of the outreach team when they make contact on the street.

All reports made to the phone line get passed onto outreach teams on the ground. These reports get passed on 24/7. Each borough has its own outreach team, where there is no dedicated outreach team London Street Rescue are funded to respond to reports of rough sleeping in those boroughs. No Second Night Out do not have any outreach teams of their own. No Second Night Out and the rough sleeping phone line work in partnership and in a co-ordinated way with all the outreach services on the ground. Everyone involved is committed to responding rapidly to these reports and within 24hours. This is critical if we are trying to prevent new arrivals spending a second night out. More information on this and how outreach teams work in partnership with No Second Night Out can be found in the No Second Night Out outreach protocol.

The more detailed and accurate the information on the location of a sleeping site the easier it is for an outreach team to find the rough sleeper and the quicker they will be able to help them. In addition, the quicker the outreach teams are able to find each rough sleeper the more referrals they will be able to respond to while they are out on shift. Information on the location should be detailed enough to pinpoint exactly where the rough sleeper’s sleeping site is, not just their general whereabouts.

Yes, as soon as the service receive a report back from the outreach team this gets recorded and the caller will be contacted to be given feedback about their referral. Often no contact has been made, however outreach teams will return on a number of occasions before the case is closed. In order to respect the confidentially of the rough sleeper the feedback given will be very general.

About 60% of the time people sleeping rough are new to the street. However, there are a number of people who have been living on the street for some time or despite having accommodation, will appear to the public to be sleeping rough, eg people who beg or are street drinking. Any reports to the line will be dealt with in the same way and all reports are passed onto an outreach team. It is the outreach teams that determine what steps to take with an individual once they have met them. If they are new they are very likely to be brought to No Second Night Out. If they are known already to the team and other services, usually there is a plan in place that they will continue to follow that through. If they are not sleeping rough many outreach teams will try to link people in to support services to ensure that the person does not lose their accommodation. Only those identified as new rough sleepers can be bought to the No Second Night Out assessment hub.

Calling the rough sleeping referral line does not mean a rough sleeper is being referred directly to No Second Night Out as the line takes reports for any rough sleepers in London. However, increased public reporting to the phone line increases the chances of helping ‘new’ rough sleepers more rapidly because all information received via the phone line is immediately passed onto outreach teams who then use it to target the location where the rough sleeper is reported to be sleeping. If the outreach teams find the rough sleeper and, after assessing their situation, conclude they are ‘new’ to the streets, they will explain that sleeping rough is dangerous and will offer them the opportunity to go to one of the NSNO Assessment Hubs to get off the street and work with Assessment and Reconnection workers to find a solution to their rough sleeping.

Many outreach teams and London boroughs have their own local ways of reporting rough sleepers and these are often publicised on the Internet, on billboards etc. This reporting line does not substitute for these but aims to compliment them to ensue there are as many routes as possible to report sightings of people sleeping rough.
Information on people sleeping rough in London can also be reported by filling in an on-line referral form which can be found on the ‘Help a Rough Sleeper’ page on the No Second Night Out website: http://www.nosecondnightout.org.uk/help-a-rough-sleeper/. This information is then processed in the same way as a call to the phone line. If you are using the on-line referral form to report a rough sleeper it is really important to give as much specific detail about the location of the sleeping site as possible as this gives the outreach team the best possible chance of locating and helping the rough sleeper.

Anyone who would like to help a rough sleeper should use the phone line to make a report. More information on services available to help rough sleepers or anyone at risk of rough sleeping can be found on the ‘Help a Rough Sleeper’ page of the No Second Night Out website: http://www.nosecondnightout.org.uk/help-a-rough-sleeper/