A homeless charity has been awarded a three-year contract worth £1 million to run an outreach service for rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove.
St Mungo’s Broadway will run the service on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council from September.
The charity – formed last April when St Mungo’s and Broadway merged – already runs the Sussex Outreach service which covers the entire county except for Brighton and Hove.
Over the past five years St Mungo’s Broadway has expanded outside London. It now supports rough sleepers in Bristol, Reading and Oxford and South Essex as well as across Sussex.
The charity’s director for street homelessness and outreach services Petra Salva said: “The starting point for our work is that rough sleeping is harmful and dangerous and that no one should have to sleep rough in this day and age.
“We’ll be working with people to tackle the particular problems that lead to them sleeping rough and aiming to connect them with services as needed, from housing to health services and into skills and work opportunities.
“We are looking forward to working with local partners in Brighton and Hove to support people as they move away from homelessness and on with their lives.”
Councillor Clare Moonan, who sits on the council’s new Neighbourhoods, Communities and Equalities Committee and is the lead spokesman for rough sleepers, said: “Our city has long been under pressure from growing homelessness, particularly at this time of austerity.
“No one wants to sleep rough and I am certain that St Mungo’s Broadway has the combined experience and expertise to work with the other partners across the city to support the many vulnerable people who live out on our streets to overcome their complex problems and find the best way to rebuild their lives.”
“No one wants to sleep rough and I am certain that St Mungo’s Broadway has the combined experience and expertise to work with the other partners across the city to support the many vulnerable people who live out on our streets to overcome their complex problems and find the best way to rebuild their lives.”
Lets hope that they do, for once!
“rebuild their lives”
Maybe we would like our lives, homes, businesses back, as were, and don’t wish to ‘rebuild’.
Here’s our side of the argument:
Another charity, that isn’t looking deeper than it’s employers, donations, and own salary.
“The starting point for our work is that rough sleeping is harmful and dangerous and that no one should have to sleep rough in this day and age.”
– Good so far!
“We’ll be working with people to tackle the particular problems that lead to them sleeping rough and aiming to connect them with services as needed, from housing to health services and into skills and work opportunities”
– Ruined it already!
It is always a one sided derogatory image of us that they wish to portray.
RoughSleeper!? Writing!? Whistleblowers/HR/Pro Democracy/Justice Campaigners, illegally forced onto the streets to stop cases continuing!? That doesn’t fit our clichés and stereotypes of you, and the pigeon holes that we have been set! We want to portray you as lost social outcasts, that have an erratic lifestyle, that needs guidance to get back ‘on track’, and into work, you lazy, good for nothing, bums.
Still, this image gets the money in. That’s what matters!
(8.7336 x 10K hours expertise, Boots on the ground, 3639 Days, @ 1.5444 pence/day)