More than 100 Peterborough rough sleepers and homeless residents helped during pandemic

Shortly after lockdown was implemented, scores of rough sleepers were given temporary accommodation in hotels.

In Peterborough this gave organisations including the Safer off the Streets Partnership the chance to engage with many of the homeless people, and offer them support to find permanent accommodation and to deal with other issues in their lives.

At its peak, 117 people were given support in three hotels across the city, including three meals a day, laundry, GP services and art therapy. Now there are around 70 people receiving the help at hotels, with more moving on to longer term accommodation each day, following an individual needs assessment, which determines whether they are best placed in assisted living, or a flat by themselves and which support services they need to continue following their move.

While there were some initial issues, with police called on occasions, the support offered has been a success for many residents.

Volunteers also provided company and a non-judgemental listening ear to allow them to spend many hours discussing the events that led to them sleeping rough and how they might break the cycle when they ‘pressed play’ on their lives again.

Steven Pettican from Light Project Peterborough, whose charity has redeployed many of their staff and is providing much of the volunteers, with support from other Safer Off the Streets partners including Peterborough Soup Kitchen and Three Pillars, said: “With the exception of the meals and laundry services, the support we’ve been providing along with the city council is exactly the same as before the pandemic hit.

“However, due to fears over Covid-19, many who had previously struggled to engage with support of any kind changed their minds and accepted a hotel room. Gradually, as the weeks went on, our staff, volunteers and the council’s rough sleeper outreach team listened to their life stories and encouraged them to reflect, engage with support services and plan their future lives.

“Many found they were relishing the relative luxury of being able to sleep in a comfy bed each night, eat one of the 23,000 meals that have been provided and put on clean clothes in the morning and are now taking positive steps in leaving the streets for good.”

Christine Graham, chair of the Safer Off the Streets partnership said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating globally, no one is denying that. However, one silver lining is that the entire city has pulled together through the Safer Off the Streets partnership to engage with far more rough sleepers than it ever has before, those who have only now been willing to accept the help and support we want to give.”

Councillor Steve Allen, cabinet member for housing at Peterborough City Council, said: “Covid-19 has given us a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to engage over many weeks with some of our most entrenched rough sleepers.

“Ultimately it is up to them to find the determination to take the next steps to leaving their lives on the streets for good. If they do, the city council and the wider Safer Off the Streets partnership will be there to support them every step of the way.”

Residents are being urged to have their say on proposals for a new ‘garden house’ on the Cathedral Precincts to help homeless residents in Peterboorugh. To have your say visit www.lightprojectpeterborough.org.uk/projects/garden-house/