Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy

The 2025 – 2030 Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy is a continuation and update following on from the 2019 – 2024 strategy.

The four key priorities are:

• Prevention and Relief of Homelessness
• Provision of Temporary Accommodation
• Housing Development
• Support for Homeless Households

This strategy has been written and developed in conjunction with stakeholders, partners and most importantly, past and present users of the service.

Homelessness has remained an issue across the nation since the last strategy was published in 2019, and our vision has also remained the same, to reduce homelessness, end the need for anyone to sleep rough in Stevenage, and where it does occur make it brief and non-recurring.

This strategy sets out our priorities to prevent homelessness, eradicate rough sleeping, and stresses the importance of working in partnership with local stakeholders and organisations to address and proactively tackle the wide range of issues that can be linked to homelessness.

This strategy refines and progresses on from the 2019 – 2024 strategy and outlines the key achievements during this time and the successes which we will build on further.

The implementation of this strategy will be lead by the Community Advice and Support service within Housing and Investment as well as in conjunction with internal and external teams and partners.

Rough Sleeper Service

Stevenage Borough Council currently have a Rough Sleeper service which is available to anyone who is street homeless within Stevenage.

The team can assist with advice and support surrounding their homelessness and rough sleeping and provide a more tailored and intensive service for those rough sleeping.

They can support with sourcing and securing suitable accommodation with expert housing advice, referrals to accommodation providers, referrals and signposting to other types of services regarding mental health, substance misuse and many other support services.

The team can also assist with practical support such as emergency food packages, clothing and mobile phones.

Our Rough Sleeper service work very closely with many local organisations including One YMCA, Change Grow Live, MIND in Herts, Emerging Futures etc in order to provide a holistic and person centred approach to supporting anyone rough sleeping so they get the help they need.

We also operate a very limited accommodation service with wrap around support for street homeless Stevenage clients. This service has a very limited number of spaces and clients are taken on a case by case basis for suitability, determined by the Rough Sleeper team.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

You can find more information on referral pathways and key information for professionals and volunteers about refugees and asylum seekers in Hertfordshire on the Hertfordshire County Council website.