Hull City Council and partners are marking this year’s World Homeless Day (Monday 10 October) with a drop-in at 30 King Edward Street to highlight the problems homeless people face, the services available to support people experiencing homelessness, and, how by early intervention, we can prevent people from becoming homeless.
Visitors are invited to drop-in between 10am and 4pm, where there will be representatives from: Hull Renew, the drug and alcohol recovery service; the Homeless Mental Health Team; Adult Social Care; Modality Team, and the Rough Sleeper Initiative who will provide information about their services and also case study stories.
Given Hull FC’s role in helping many people leaving the streets and/living in supported accommodation to make meaningful use of their time, FC representatives will be in attendance with activities too. Refreshments will be available, a raffle and a rail with clothes donated for homeless people.
Cllr Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, said, “Making sure everyone has access to the right sort of accommodation is essential if people are going to be treated with dignity. World Homeless Day is an opportunity to focus attention on how the council and those it works with can help change the lives of people experiencing, or at risk from, homelessness in our communities.
“Overall, the vision for the future is that every resident in Hull has somewhere to call home, that they are able access the housing most suitable for their needs and circumstance. Plus, through robust housing advice and options offer by the council, the aim is for homelessness to be prevented and – where homelessness does occur – that it is rare, brief and not repeated.”
Cllr Ross pointed out that members of the public can help people who are sleeping on the streets.
Anyone concerned about someone sleeping outside can phone Streetlink on 0300 500 0914. When making the call, they should give the location of the person and it’s helpful to say if they are male or female and whether there is anything specific to help identify them, such as wearing a red coat or has long blonde hair.
As soon as the call is received, it is registered in the Street Link system and an outreach worker is dispatched to locate and help the individual. People can also download the Street Link app to report a rough sleeper. As always, if the person concerned is in immediate danger or needs urgent care, they should call 999.
Whilst many people have long-term, underlying causes for their homelessness, anybody could find themselves at risk of becoming homeless, through for example family breakdowns, redundancy or eviction.
Anyone who is worried that they could lose their home is advised to contact the council’s Housing Options team as early as possible. They can give advice based on an individual’s personal circumstances.
There are a number of services that can help people stay in their current home, but if that’s not an option, the team can help find a different home.
The Housing Options Team is based at the Wilson Centre and can be contacted Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Fridays 9am to 4.30pm on 01482 612 040.
