Council to '˜wind down' winter night shelter for rough sleepers

Brighton and Hove City Council said: “This year’s winter provision will now begin to wind down and people staying at the shelter are being helped to move on. The shelter’s last night open will be on Saturday (March 10).”

The council added that if temperatures drop, a separate severe weather shelter would open for rough sleepers as part of its severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP).

The shelter at the Brighton Centre opened on a temporary basis in December with 30 beds.

Places were allocated to rough sleepers in the city by outreach workers from St Mungo’s, the council’s rough sleeper outreach homelessness service.

Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Once the winter night shelter is closed, a full evaluation of the venture will be carried out. This will be used to shape future provision plans.

“Looking ahead, one of the initial tasks will be to look into options for a suitable location for a shelter next winter.”

The council said it will look at how support for rough sleepers can be improved for the future, ‘building on the positive experiences from the night shelter’, and added that councillors approved £165,000 to support rough sleeping initiatives in the year ahead.

Cllr Clare Moonan (Labour), Cllr Robert Nemeth (Conservative) and Cllr David Gibson (Green) led on setting up the shelter when it was initially agreed with cross-party support last year.

A statement from the councillors said: “We’ll use all the experience we’ve gained from the shelter at the Brighton Centre to improve on what we do in the future.

“We’re dedicated to helping all those sleeping rough in the city and the winter shelter was a new way to add to the support available in Brighton and Hove. The shelter has been greatly appreciated by those who’ve stayed there; it’s made a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our city this winter. The commitment and professionalism of the shelter’s staff and volunteers is rightly recognised as the main factor in helping people staying overnight to feel safe and secure. Many people have moved on and away from the streets as a result of this approach.

“We’re aware the weather can be very cold at this time of year. A separate shelter service runs all year round to make sure no one has to stay out when the weather is extreme. The severe weather shelter, known as SWEP, is available for all who need it. If the weather is very cold, the SWEP will be available to anyone leaving the winter night shelter if they want to go there.”

The council added that the winter shelter had seen positive feedback from rough sleepers.

Initial feedback from people staying at the shelter includes: “It’s a godsend to homeless and vulnerable people”.

Another said: “The best thing was the genuine kindness of the staff and security and volunteers and the warm heating because I hate the cold.”

One volunteer also commented: “Watching the clients improve in health, mood and socialisation shows what can be achieved in relatively short time.”

For more information on helping rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove, click here.