Solutions for Rough Sleepers
Working in partnership with Broadway, a leading London homelessness charity, and Heathrow Police, Heathrow Travel-Care have developed a Rough Sleepers Outreach Project to support the airport community in addressing problems associated with homeless people at the airport.
As with any busy port, Heathrow does attract a number of homeless people. Assertive Outreach Workers regularly walk around the terminals during the night to identify people who are sleeping rough. they are the offered reconnection advice anddirected to further assistance during office hours for housing, detoxification, employment, medical services and the benefits system.
Taking referrals from members of the public, airport and airline staff, the Police and partner agencies, we work together to try to build relationships with individuals using an assertive outreach model, combining regular contact, with an approach that challenges damaging lifestyles, whilst offering realistic routes to enable positive change. Results to date have been significant (click here to view a 2010 article published in The Evening Standard).
The Heathrow Outreach team currently have referral rights to 3 short term Emergency Bed Spaces for use when there is evidence that an eligible individual rough sleeper will have an appropriate supported ‘move-on plan’. Outcomes for individuals are appropriately shared with Police to ensure that the small minority of rough sleepers who are not eligible for services, do not wish to engage with services or who may be involved in anti-social behaviour (for example begging, problematic use of alcohol or drugs) are challenged. In this way, we help people to access appropriate support, which also enables the wider airport community to maintain a safe environment.
This project focuses on proactively reconnecting people with existing services for which they may be already eligible, and therefore encouraging rough sleepers to move off the airport.
Anonymised data collected from this Project will be used to demonstrate the need for further homeless services in West London.
If you have an interest in this project, please contact the Lead Worker, Ross Erlam at Heathrow_Travel_Care@baa.com.
The Heathrow Rough Sleepers Strategy Group is facilitated by Heathrow Travel_Care, and meets regularly to monitor, inform and feed into planning for the Heathrow Outreach operation. Members are: Metropolitan Police, Chapel of St George, BAA, London Borough of Hillingdon Housing Options and other provider partners.
NB: Media / observer opportunities are kept to a minimum to avoid compromising the engagement of clients with outreach workers.
In the last quarter (January to March 2011) there were 44 rough sleepers seen by the Project at Heathrow – 39 men and 5 women.
Over 90% of these people (40) were helped to find accommodation, or seen once, advised and not seen again.
The project achieved 18 accommodation outcomes – steps towards people accessing suitable sustainable accommodation.