Help for rough sleepers in Adur and Worthing

Working together with other organisations, our primary aims are to prevent rough sleeping and identify those experiencing rough sleeping as early as possible to support them into housing and ensuring they can access the support they need:

If you are sleeping on the street (or are at risk)

If you are homeless, or have nowhere to sleep tonight, come to Worthing Town Hall, Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm, to talk to a Housing Officer and see what help you can get.

• If it is out of hours, use the emergency number
• Help available if you are homeless

We have many services and/or measures in place to help and support those experiencing rough sleeping:

• Street Outreach Team
• Rough sleepers team
• Severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP)
• No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
• Other services available for rough sleepers
• Street count information

If you see someone sleeping rough and want to help them access these services, the most effective way is through StreetLink:

• Note the location: Be as specific as possible (street name, nearby landmarks)
• Note the time: When did you see the person?
• Report it: Log the details on the StreetLink website (monitored daily)

See also:

• Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs)

Street Outreach Team

This team works with a variety of partners - including Sussex Police, Probation, the NHS, and local charities - to provide people with support.

We use a multi-agency approach to:

• case manage rough sleepers across Adur and Worthing to ensure no one is missed
• manage risks related to antisocial behaviour and crime to keep the community and individuals safe
• reduce vulnerability, prevent serious harm or death, and improve health outcomes
• agree on joint actions to help alleviate rough sleeping and homelessness

Get in touch:

• email us: street.outreach@adur-worthing.gov.uk
• phone: Housing Needs on 01903 221063
• visit:
  • Worthing Town Hall, Chapel Road, Worthing, BN11 1HA
    or
  • St Clare's Community Hub, Marine Place, Worthing, BN11 3DN

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Rough sleepers team

We work with a variety of partners to support and inform our work with rough sleepers in our community, such as Sussex Police and Probation, NHS Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, Worthing Medical Group and a number of charities, including:

• Turning Tides website
• Emerging Futures website
• Change Grow Live website
• WORTH (Specialist Domestic Abuse Service) - on the WSCC website
• Brighton Women's Centre (BWC) website
• Yada website - The Esther Project

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Severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP)

When weather conditions become dangerous - such as when temperatures are forecast to drop to 0°C or below for three consecutive nights, during heavy snow or other serious weather event - we activate SWEP.

• Everyone is eligible: During SWEP, we provide emergency accommodation to all rough sleepers, including those who are otherwise ineligible or have No Recourse to Public Funds (see below).
• Public Notification: When SWEP is activated, we will announce it via a banner on our website and through our official social media channels.
• Coordinated Housing: During these periods, our Street Outreach Team works directly with the local Community Hub to offer emergency housing to everyone known to be rough sleeping in the area.

Heatwaves: During extreme heat, our teams increase outreach shifts to provide water and welfare checks.

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No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)

If someone's immigration status means they have 'No Recourse to Public Funds', they may not be eligible for standard housing assistance. However:

• The council will still talk to them: Our Street Outreach Team will perform welfare checks and offer advice on available options.
• Emergency support is available: During severe weather (SWEP), we provide shelter regardless of status - see SWEP (above).

See also:

• Advice for Asylum Seekers

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Other services available for rough sleepers

Turning Tides a local charity deliver a number of services:

• A Community Hub in Worthing providing homeless people with support, advice, assessment and referrals, open 9am to 11am, 5 days a week, see:
  
  • St Clare's Community Hub, Worthing - on the Turning Tides website
• Supported accommodation for single homeless people.
• Support workers to help rough sleepers with mental health needs, complex needs and those dealing with drug and alcohol addiction.
• Host the Change Grow Live substance misuse recovery service in the hub, see:
  
  • Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network - on the Change Grow Live website
• Health Central Surgery: a clinic in Worthing providing GP care for homeless people, offering a range of services including substance misuse treatments and support, sexual health advice and mental health assessment and deliver a clinic in the Community Hub, See:
  • Health Central Surgery - on the Worthing Medical Group website
• See also: Turning Tides website

WORTH offers specialist support for those experiencing domestic abuse:

• WORTH services - on the West Sussex County Council website

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Street count information

Adur and Worthing Councils complete a monthly 'snapshot' street count to ascertain the number of rough sleepers in the area as well as tracking the total number of people who experience rough sleeping in a month to help us understand where support is most needed.

We also conduct an annual count each November, which is part of a national count and comprises numbers of people seen on the night as well as an estimated (intelligence based) figure, based on information from partner agencies as to who they believe to be rough sleeping.

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