Lockdown leads to 90 Northampton rough sleepers taken off of streets for help

The lockdown has led to 90 men and women who were homeless or sleeping rough in our town are currently being housed, fed and supported in two hotels in Northampton.

A combined effort by the borough council, the Hope Centre and the Northampton Association for the Accommodation of the Single Homeless (NAASH) is underway to not only protect the town's homeless from Covid-19 but also give them the help they need to get off the streets for good.

Everyone who is placed in the hotels receives three meals a day, toiletries, fresh clothing, a fortnightly laundry service and access to help to address their drug, alcohol, physical and mental health issues.

The partnership is the work of the Northampton Single Homelessness Forum, which was set up in January and claims many people staying at the hotels since the lockdown are some of the town's most entrenched rough sleepers and are making "huge positive steps".

Now, the forum is sharing some of feedback they have received from the hotels guests.

One 34-year-old woman wrote: "Thank you for helping me get on track with life. To most people, this don’t seem a lot. But for people like me it’s a massive life changer and I am now off the drugs, eating more than I was, can now shower when I want.

"A big thank you for the time you take to help us on a day to day basis.”

Another man, aged 35, said: "Although it has taken such a nasty thing for this to happen, I am going to benefit from it in the long run and I am very grateful to everyone involved in making this happen for us.

"Since coming into the hotel at the beginning of the lockdown, things have been so much better for me. It has given me the stability and security I need to cope with my recovery from addiction."

“Thanks for being there from day one," said a 27-year-old woman. "Since I became homeless you have been a godsend with little self-care bags and clothes and the food. I will forever be grateful.

"I’ve never been shown so much kindness in my life by everyone.”

Chair of the Single homelessness Forum Reverend Sue Faulkner said: “This COVID-19 public health emergency, and our response to it, has shown us that rough sleeping isn’t inevitable and that, if we all work

together, we can break this vicious circle, keep people safe and prevent rough sleepers from returning to the street.

“Organisations such as NAASH have a proven track record of successfully supporting tenants and working well with private landlords to ensure that housing is well managed and tenancy conditions are complied with.

“The private rented sector has an important role to play in our plans to move everyone on from the hotels and we are hoping that up to 40 people will be rehoused in the private sector during the next seven weeks.”

Landlords who are interested in letting their private rented accommodation to homeless people should contact NAASH on (01604) 630042.