Help for the homeless

Rough sleeping in the area remains low, a ‘count’ evening has found.

Nine council officers and two police officers were joined by two Government officials to undertake the count and visited 19 places across the borough between midnight and 2am.

Locations to visit were compiled from consultation with the police, local churches, voluntary organisations and a number of council teams and no-one was found sleeping rough. Most locations were in or around Borehamwood Town Centre, but some sites were in Potters Bar, Radlett and South Mimms.

Cllr Hannah David, housing portfolio holder, explained: "With the current economic downturn we know that nationally there is a picture of increasing numbers of people losing their homes and therefore becoming homeless.

“As a regional centre of excellence in homelessness we are working hard to support people who may have become homeless and get them back into proper accommodation.

“We carried out the rough sleeper count in an attempt to get a picture of the rough sleeping problem in the borough and to get an idea of any new support services which we might need to introduce to help rough sleepers.

“Our recent count took place on a night when the weather was dry and fairly warm - these are the conditions when rough sleepers are most likely to be found.

“The results confirm our belief that rough sleeping is not a significant problem in the borough and in many ways it is a very good thing that the result was nil. Rough sleeping is the very worst manifestation of homelessness and it is a relief that very few people living in the borough have to resort to it.

“However we do recognise that rough sleepers tend to be quite mobile, so some rough sleepers from the area may have moved across into neighbouring boroughs.  We also know that sofa-surfing does take place - where homeless people rely on friends and family for nights at a time and are looking at ways in which we can try to help this problem also."

If you are worried about homelessness, for your self or for someone you know, there are a number of people who can help. In the first instance contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau on 0844 826 9703