What’s really happening with support for homeless people in Dorset?

You may have seen some coverage in the press recently about Dorset Council accommodating lots of rough sleepers in a couple of hotels on Weymouth seafront during the coronavirus pandemic.  

So what’s been happening and why?

The council has a statutory duty under the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2018 to provide number of duties including accommodation and supporting those that are homeless.

On 26 March, the government announced the ‘Everyone In’ initiative and gave all councils 48 hours to get all rough sleepers off the streets and into accommodation. Only three hotels out of a large number who were contacted by us were willing and able to help with accommodation at that time (in addition to properties we already use). Part of this was because the government also instructed hotels, guest houses, caravan parks and campsites to close, meaning staff had been furloughed, properties were not open and could therefore not accept people to stay there.

We acknowledge that the arrangements put in place within an extremely tight timescale of a few days where a number of rough sleepers were moved off the streets into three seafront Weymouth hotels were not ideal. We recognise that the anti-social behaviour (caused by a small number of those people) faced by local residents over recent weeks has been very upsetting and difficult. The kind of ASB experienced over recent weeks in the Park District in Weymouth has been caused by a handful of individuals (approximately 8, of which only one is currently accommodated by us). This group are from the local area and continue to gather in the same area as they have done for many years. We’ve been working closely with the Police and other partners to tackle this.

In response to concerns from the community, we’ve pulled together some information on why, what and when decisions were made and how we’re moving forwards to help rough sleepers and homeless people move into alternative, more settled accommodation.

Why were rough sleepers brought in off the streets? Dorset Council has a statutory duty under the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2018 to provide a number of duties including accommodation and supporting those who are homeless. On 26 March, the government announced the ‘Everyone In’ initiative and gave all councils 48 hours to get rough sleepers off the streets and into accommodation.

Is it true that Dorset Council accommodates all homeless people in Weymouth? No. We are currently accommodating around 139 households (including 28 rough sleepers) in total in B&B accommodation. Many of these are single people and 45% of them are accommodated outside of Weymouth in other parts of the Dorset Council area. Wherever possible we try to accommodate people in a place where they have a local connection.

Is it true that Dorset Council accommodates people who are not from Weymouth in Weymouth? The majority of homeless people accommodated in Weymouth are from, or have a connection with, Weymouth & Portland (e.g. family there). We do have a few people not originally from Weymouth accommodated in Weymouth – they are from West Dorset though. This is partly because so many support services are located in Weymouth (e.g. drug & alcohol, mental health), and partly because we don’t yet have enough suitable accommodation in other parts of the Dorset Council area, but we’re working on this.  However, Dorset Council as the housing authority cannot take into account which part of Dorset the person is from, although it does need to consider what support a person would have from friends and family in their local community. It is not legally possible to restrict the placement of a homeless household to a particular town, but where possible this is always the preferred option if following discussions with the individual a preference is specified.  However, a shortage of suitable temporary accommodation in Dorset does limit the options available to the council.

Is it true that the council accommodates homeless people from other areas of the country? When the council received the instruction from government as part of the ‘Everyone In’ initiative, we did have a couple of people accommodated in the area who were not originally from Dorset. As soon as the lockdown restrictions were eased, anyone who did not have a local connection to Dorset was returned to the place where they have a local connection for that local authority to support them. This is what councils are required to do by law. We do not currently have anyone accommodated in Dorset from other parts of the country.

Is it true that homeless people cause anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime? It is absolutely not true to say that all homeless people cause ASB and crime. The kind of ASB experienced over recent weeks in the Park District in Weymouth has been caused by a handful of individuals (approximately 8, of which only one is currently accommodated by us). This group are from the local area and continue to gather in the same area as they have done for many years. Where individuals are causing ASB the police have powers to issue a section 35 dispersal to require the perpetrator to relocate for up to 48 hours. If the subject of this dispersal notice returns to the area then they can be arrested and charged with an offence. Most homeless people just want to quietly get on with their lives and don’t cause trouble. By and large, these are vulnerable people and they need our support to get back on their feet.

Should Dorset Council have accommodated all rough sleepers in 3 seafront hotels in Weymouth at the start of COVID lockdown? We acknowledge that the arrangements put in place within an extremely tight timescale of a few days for the government’s ‘Everyone In’ initiative at the start of the COVID pandemic where a number of rough sleepers were moved off the streets into three seafront Weymouth hotels were not ideal. We recognise that the anti-social behaviour (caused by a small number of those people) faced by local residents over recent weeks has been very upsetting and difficult. We’ve been working closely with the Police and other partners to tackle this. It was a completely unprecedented situation with a global pandemic and we had to respond very swiftly in line with government and public health guidelines, for the safety of the rough sleepers and for the safety of others. Only three hotels out of a large number which were contacted by us were willing and able to help with accommodation at that time (in addition to properties we already use). Part of this was because the government also instructed hotels, guest houses, caravan parks and campsites to close at that time, meaning staff had been furloughed and properties were not open and could therefore not accept people to stay there. Dorset Council is now working hard to arrange more accommodation for homeless people across the council area, including new hostels, but this takes time to arrange with contracts for leases, support and necessary property alterations to take place. We have learned from the experiences of late, and are making sure that appropriate support measures are being put in place when moving people into alternative accommodation.

Are homeless people and rough sleepers all the same? Only a fraction of homeless people are rough sleepers (i.e. sleeping on the streets). Many homeless people have a roof over their heads but are in a precarious situation e.g. they are sofa surfing or living in a B&B – they don’t have permanent housing. Many rough sleepers do have mental health and drug & alcohol issues, and may mistrust authorities, and may refuse to accept shelter, preferring to stay on the street. But this is not the case for all homeless people. Whole families can find themselves homeless, with parents and their children needing to be accommodated in B&Bs. We put support in place to get people into settled accommodation, help to get back in to employment, mental health and financial support. It’s likely that more people will become homeless over coming months as the economic impact of COVID and the lockdown hits with redundancies and financial hardship. Dorset Council is preparing for this.

What can I do to help? Contact any of the charity organisations we work with to offer your support. These are really important local charities providing incredible support to help get homeless people back on their feet.

• The Lantern Trust – lanterntrust.org.uk
• Julian House – julianhouse.org.uk
• REACH drug and alcohol services – edp.org.uk/reach-dorset
• The Bus Shelter – facebook.com/thebusshelterdorset
• Shelter – england.shelter.org.uk

What do I do if I find I’m struggling financially and at risk of homelessness? Homelessness can happen to anyone – if you lose your job, relationship breakdown, miss some rent or mortgage payments. Rent and mortgage holiday periods are available and you should seek help at the earliest opportunity. For anyone worried about their financial situation during these times, there is advice on how to get help on the Shelter website: https://england.shelter.org.uk/ and the Financial Conduct Authority website: www.fca.org.uk/consumers/mortgages-coronavirus-consumers or contact Dorset Adviceline on 0344 411 1444, or Shelter on 0808 800 4444.

If you see any activity of anti-social behaviour, report it online (wherever possible) at https://www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online/asb-and-nuisance-communications/ or e-mail 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or call 101.  If it’s an emergency situation, call 999.

All reports to the Police are looked at and form part of a wider intelligence picture. Officers are working tirelessly to try and find solutions to these issues.

We hope these will help everyone understand the unprecedented situation we were faced with and want to thank everyone for their support during these challenging times.