Helping those who are sleeping rough in Horsham District

It is always troubling to see anyone sleeping rough on our streets. What many of us don’t realise is that the needs and circumstances surrounding those who sleep rough, either by choice or not, can be extremely varied and complex.

Thankfully our dedicated Homeless team have the experience to help with this highly specialised area and have put in place a number of services to directly help these vulnerable individuals.

Our team has developed a number of solutions to engage with rough sleepers in our District:

• We offer a homelessness advice service from 9am - 5pm every weekday. Due to the restrictions placed upon us during the Covid-19 lockdown, we have adapted our service to ensure it continues to run smoothly and we are speaking to those in need over the phone in the first instance in order to prevent and relieve homelessness.
• We continue our partnership working with Turning Tides, Horsham Matters, Horsham Churches Together, our Neighbourhood Wardens and partners across the District helping those at risk of becoming homeless, with the aim of preventing homelessness in the first place.
• Our Homelessness Outreach Service (operated by Turning Tides) works tirelessly to locate, support and signpost those who are sleeping rough or are insecurely housed, providing a tailored service to those in need.

How you can help

Many of our District’s residents are really generous towards people who they believe to be homeless, however, it is important that this generosity is diverted to the most appropriate channels to ensure that any donations are used most effectively.

People wishing to support the homeless are urged to donate to charities rather than giving money directly to individuals, however tempting this may seem, as this assures those most in need receive the right help in the right way and it helps to break the cycle  
of homelessness.