St Mungo's Broadway has been awarded the contract to run Brighton & Hove City Council’s Rough Sleeper Outreach Homelessness Service from September for three years.
Last April two well established, respected homelessness charities St Mungo's and Broadway joined forces. St Mungo's has helped people sleeping rough since 1969, and has developed many ground breaking rough sleeper services including the first specialist project for elderly rough sleepers, a service for those addicted to alcohol and, more recently, they set up the first Recovery College in the homelessness sector. Broadway was created on 1 April 2002 from the merger of two London charities that also supported thousands of homeless throughout the city for more than 20 years.
Over the last five years St Mungo’s Broadway has expanded outside London to support rough sleepers in Bristol, Reading and Oxford and South Essex as well as the Sussex Outreach service, which covers the whole of the county, except Brighton & Hove.
Petra Salva, Director for Street Homelessness and Outreach Services at St Mungo's Broadway, said:
"The starting point for our work is that rough sleeping is harmful and dangerous, and that no one should have to sleep rough in this day and age. We'll be working with people to tackle the particular problems that lead to them sleeping rough and aiming to connect them with services as needed, from housing to health services and into skills and work opportunities.
"We are looking forward to working with local partners in Brighton & Hove to support people as they move away from homelessness and on with their lives."
Councillor Clare Moonan sits on the council’s new committee for Neighbourhoods, Communities and Equalities and is lead spokesperson for rough sleepers: she said:
“Our city has long been under pressure from growing homelessness, particularly at this time of austerity. No one wants to sleep rough, and I am certain that St Mungo’s Broadway has the combined experience and expertise to work with the other partners across the city to support the many vulnerable people who live out on our streets to overcome their complex problems, and find the best way to rebuild their lives.”