Streetlink team
Primary function: to link rough sleepers, who bed down in the Victoria area of London, into Day Centre services.
During the year:
831 Contacts were made with different people
398 Of these were identified as being new to rough sleeping in central London
142 People were found accommodation
Next year:
To develop ways to encourage rough sleepers into the
Passage House Assessment Centre, the team is planning to run a pilot
scheme of late street shifts from Passage House.
We
will continue to seek funding to employ a specialist worker, which
would enable us to target long-term rough sleepers with mental health
problems.
Streetlink team:
Regardless of the weather, three late nights and one early morning each week, members of our streetlink team go out in pairs to encourage homeless people to come into the Day Centre. Those who are able to make and keep appointments are referred to the assessment and advice team, but there are a number of long-term rough sleepers who are reluctant to use the Day Centre, and others whose chaotic lifestyles or mental health prevent them from using support services effectively. The team constantly looks for innovative ways to engage with these people, including holding sessions in the Day Centre at quieter periods outside normal opening hours.
The team creates a link with other providers and street teams in the borough, hosts multi-agency meetings, and formulates strategies to reduce rough sleeping by helping people access services.