Rough sleeping

If anyone is sleeping rough, we help them find safer, settled accommodation. We do this in many different ways.

Information, advice and support we can offer

We offer a full assessment and provide advice about different housing options that are available to rough sleepers. This could include emergency accommodation, supported housing or hostels or helping them move back to an area where they have a local connection. Depending on what they need, we may also put them in touch with other people for support. We work with a number of other organisations to provide full support for anyone rough sleeping.

No Second Night Out

This is a project that aims to make sure nobody has to spend a second night sleeping rough. We work together with other groups to make sure we can achieve this.

We do this in a number of ways:

If someone is sleeping rough, we try to make sure they are helped off the streets immediately. We do this to keep them safe.
We ask the general public to help us by letting us know if they think someone is sleeping rough.
We help rough sleepers to find somewhere safe to go so we can find out what they need and find them some safer options.
We help them find emergency accommodation and other services, such as healthcare, if they need it.
We encourage them to reunite with their local community, unless there is a good reason why they should remain apart, for example, safety reasons.
We aim to find them suitable accommodation within seven days of assessment.

Sometimes, the accommodation may be outside of the area, depending on their needs, local connection, support network and the availability of accommodation.

Severe weather emergency protocol

In winter during prolonged periods of severe weather (three continuous nights, or more, of a temperature of zero degrees Celsius or lower, high wind and excessive rain) overnight emergency accommodation for rough sleepers will be offered under the severe weather emergency protocol. This is to prevent loss of life or significant harm to health.

When the protocol is activated it means that the usual rules to determine access to house do not apply and services are available to everyone. This includes all those who may usually be excluded from services, such as being unable to claim most benefits, people who may have previously been banned from accessing services, and those with no local connection.

Once activated the protocol is reviewed on a daily basis until the forecast predicts two or more continuous nights where the temperature is at least one degree Celsius.

Area specific support

Rough sleepers in the Craven area

You can also tell us about someone you’ve seen sleeping rough in the district, using the Streetlink website. Please provide as much information as possible to help us identify the person and their location.

There are no direct access hostels or night shelters in the Craven area for people who are rough sleeping, so this means that we need to refer people to hostels out of area. Rough sleepers will be offered accommodation under the homeless legislation if we believe that they are in priority need or vulnerable.

Not all rough sleepers can be offered accommodation because they may not be entitled to assistance, for example if they are from abroad. In such cases we will offer outreach support and other assistance, such as from local charities.

Rough sleepers in the Hambleton area

Rough sleepers in the Harrogate area

Harrogate Homeless Project has 25 years of experience supporting single homeless people within the Harrogate district. The services the charity provide build upon this experience to support people off the street and to assist with encouraging people to live independently in the wider community. For further information please contact Harrogate Homeless Project directly on 01423 566900.

SAFE (Service for Adults Facing Exclusion), provided by the Harrogate Homeless Project, offers an innovative and flexible approach for entrenched rough sleepers who are over 25 years old and have severe, multiple complex needs such as long-term mental health issues, difficulties coping with personal trauma, a criminal conviction or having been the victim of crime, issues with alcohol or substance abuse, or having been excluded from accessing services that may help them.

To ensure the project's success, a multi-agency approach has been established with members of the council, North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group, the Probation Service and North Yorkshire Horizons sitting on SAFE's Strategic Board.

Rough sleepers in the Richmondshire area

Rough sleepers in the Ryedale area

You can register as homeless using the form on the Housing Jigsaw website.

Rough sleepers in the Scarborough area

We work closely with local support providers and voluntary organisations such as the Rainbow Centre and the Salvation Army provide practical assistance and support for individuals in need in this area.