Wandsworth pioneers new innovative rough sleeping hub
Published: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Wandsworth Council’s mission to end rough sleeping in the borough was given a major boost last night when plans were approved for a new rough sleepers’ hub that will bring critical homelessness prevention and support services under one roof.
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At last night’s planning committee (Tuesday 21 May), the council’s proposal to establish a hub in Lavender Hill, Battersea was voted through. The first of its kind in the borough, the hub will give those presenting as homeless an opportunity to access multiple services in one visit.
The new hub introduces a new and innovative way of working with rough sleepers based on two principles:
The first principle is that every door is the right door - where any service an individual comes into contact with will act as a gateway to support from all relevant partner agencies.
The second, is that no one should have to keep on repeating their story – service users are often frustrated and put off by the need to revisit their basic information. When engaging with the hub, users should only need to tell their story once, creating better relationships.
Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
“We are thrilled that the Planning Committee has approved this application, and we can start to look forward to delivering the best possible outcomes for some of the most vulnerable in our society.
“This hub is the first of its kind in Wandsworth, and one of very few across the capital, and will take a pioneering approach to working with the street homeless. This new approach will help us toward our aim of ending rough sleeping by 2030 and creating a fairer, more compassionate borough for all.”
A 2023 report by Shelter showed that 1 in 43 residents in Wandsworth presented as homeless. The hub will primarily target early intervention with those newly presenting as homeless with the intention of addressing the root causes of homelessness.
A number of safeguarding measures will be implemented within the new hub, including 24/7 staff coverage, CCTV, resident hotline and operating on an appointment-only system for services.
By focusing on prevention, intervention and recovery to tackle rough sleeping the council will ensure that these occurrences are rare, brief and nonrecurrent.