June News feed
Plymouth has been named as a national "rough sleepers champion" because of its pioneering work to help the homeless.
The city has been chosen as one of the 15 champions regarded as leading the field in their approach to preventing and tackling rough sleeping.
The Government has tasked the champions with sharing their knowledge and expertise with other local authorities throughout the country as part of a national campaign to reduce the number of people sleeping rough.
Working closely with partner agencies, particulary Path and Shekinah Misson, the council has developed an innovative and highly effective strategy to transform the lives of rough sleepers and to intervene in peoples' lives before they end up on the streets.
Plymouth is one of only two seaside cities in England, along with Blackpool, to be chosen as champion. Other authorities with similar characteristics will now be able to learn from Plymouth via visits, seminars, shadowing staff and audits of their own rough sleeper services.
Councillor Peter Brookshaw. Cabinet member for Safer and Stronger Communities said "The fact that Plymouth has been named as a rough sleeping champion is a great credit to all those involved in helping some of the most vulnerable people in the city. It's an example of partnership working at its best."
The Council and the charities it works with have taken an imaginative and forward thinking approach to this issue, getting to grips with the underlying problems which lead to and perpetuate rough sleeping."