Tent pitched up by Rochester Castle
06:00, 27 October 2019
Campers have chosen a room with a view to pitch their new home.
For the past few weeks, a large green tent has appeared in the Castle Moat car park in Rochester in the shadow of the historic fort.
The inhabitants have been approached by council housing officers and offered advice and support.
Head of strategic housing, Mark Breathwick, said: “We are committed to helping our most vulnerable residents and we are doing all we can to help rough sleepers across Medway.
“We will continue to encourage them to accept our offer of support including moving them into suitable accommodation.
“I would encourage anyone who is homeless, or who is at risk of becoming homeless, to visit Kingsley House in Gillingham to access the specialist advice and support available to them.”
Medway was given £410,000 government funding for the 2018/2019 financial year and a further £486,000 for the 2019/2020 financial year to further support rough sleepers.
More than 95 people have been moved into accommodation since July 2018.
The extra funding is being spent on:
- Paying for rent in advance in the private sector and putting people directly into emergency accommodation;
- A budget to buy essentials for people – for example, to pay off rent arrears or get someone a bed;
- Increasing hours at the existing supported accommodation so they can take people sleeping rough with more complex needs;
- An outreach service, a private sector link worker and a rough sleeping coordinator to pull all of this work together;
- Having a specialist mental health practitioner to support vulnerable rough sleepers and work with the other elements of the initiative.
Kingsley House in Gillingham also offers specialist advice on a range of topics.
These include the things that can cause someone to become homeless such as debt and rent arrears and how to deal with them.
