Worthing council responds to concerns over 'huge homeless problem' town centre

In September, Adur and Worthing Councils said ‘one of the greatest financial challenges’ is the ‘rising bill for housing vulnerable people’.

Two months on, the Worthing Herald received an email from a concerned resident.

This read: “We have a huge homeless problem in the town centre directly by the main town centre bus stops which hundreds of people use to visit each day.

"Every person has to walk past this scene on a daily basis.

"There was a police order which banned homeless people outside of Debenhams, but rough sleeping is causing upset in the town.

"I'm raising awareness that despite the new and recent additions [of businesses] to the town, at the core is a homeless group that need shelter or to be moved on."

Worthing Borough Council has issued a statement to this newspaper, in direct response to the reader letter.

A spokesperson said: “We have many services in place to help and support those experiencing rough sleeping. Working together with other organisations our primary aims are to prevent rough sleeping and identify those experiencing rough sleeping as early as possible to support them into housing and access the support they need.

“In the last few weeks our outreach team has assisted in supporting 11 people that were sleeping rough in the town centre into emergency accommodation. Rough sleepers are continually being engaged with by council staff and will be assisted with accommodation, provided they accept our offer.

“The councils’ outreach team does everything possible to dissuade individuals from acting anti-socially in the town centre and work with a number of partner agencies including Sussex Police and our community services team. The aim of these meetings is to discuss hotspot areas, reduce anti-social behaviour and crime, and achieve accommodation and health outcomes for rough sleepers."

Incidents of anti-social behaviour can be reported to either Sussex Police or Adur & Worthing Councils.

Visit https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/anti-social-behaviour/ for more information.

The council added: “If you are worried about someone who is sleeping rough, please use the Streetlink website to report your concerns: https://thestreetlink.org.uk/. Messages will be sent directly to our outreach services who will try to find individuals and notify them of their options.”