Housing leader's support for rough sleepers

Concerns over rough sleepers in Horsham have prompted action from a senior councillor.
Councillor Kate RowbottomCouncillor Kate Rowbottom
Councillor Kate Rowbottom

Kate Rowbottom, cabinet member for housing and public protection on Horsham District Council, visited a Horsham-based night shelter last week to meet volunteers and people staying there.

And she later paid tribute to people supporting the shelters which operate during the year’s coldest months.

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She said: “This provision of Horsham’s Night Shelters would not be possible without the huge amount of support from the volunteers and churches that make this happen. In addition, the support from Horsham Matters and the Worthing Churches Homeless Project (WCHP) is fantastic.

“It is a great shame that in these times people are finding themselves without a roof over their heads.”

As well as the night shelters, daily drop-in sessions are available at the council offices for anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The council also supports outreach workers to seek out and engage with anyone reported sleeping rough to help them to access services that are available.

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There are also Monday morning breakfast sessions and Thursday evening drop-in sessions at the Salvation Army.

The council says that it also plans to create a task force to support people sleeping on the district’s streets.

Anyone concerned about someone sleeping rough can use the national referral service on the StreetLink website: http://www.streetlink.org.uk/.

The details provided are sent to the council’s Homeless Outreach team to help locate the individual and connect them to support.