HEREFORDSHIRE has seen a “significant increase” in rough sleepers seeking help, the council has said.
New government figures suggest the county has 26 rough sleepers, although council bosses say they are working hard to bring numbers down.
“We are totally committed to preventing and reducing homelessness in the county and our dedicated housing solutions team has successfully engaged with most of our 26 rough sleepers,” said Councillor Russell B Hamilton, cabinet member for environment, housing and planning.
“I am pleased to be able to report that as a result of the work we have been doing, seven rough sleepers have been housed recently, six are now staying with friends and another six have chosen to move on and left the county.
“Although this brings our total down to seven rough sleepers in Herefordshire, there can be no room for complacency and we will continue to do all we can to minimise the number of people in this situation.”
The figures have been released by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Nationally, the Homelessness Transition Fund has been setup to help boost the No Second Night Out campaign with a total of £20 million available to combat the issue.
Herefordshire Council says the county has seen “significant increases” in rough sleepers seeking its services.
It believes rural areas are attractive to rough sleepers because of low crime levels and better support services.
“We are also working closely with Worcestershire to tackle single homelessness as a preventative measure to rough sleeping, along with working towards the government agenda of No Second Night Out,” added Councillor Hamilton.
