Rough sleeping

As a city, Plymouth has a duty to deal with rough sleeping and all the issues associated with it. Plymouth City Council is the lead agency on this but works with statutory and voluntary sector partners to try to remove rough sleeping from the streets of Plymouth. In response to this Plymouth and it's partners have written a new strategy, summary and action plan. A copy of the strategy can be downloaded below:

Plymouth rough sleepers strategy [1.18MB]

This strategy covers the whole of Plymouth and reflects the wishes of the local authority and the commissioners and providers of local services.

It builds on the excellent work that has already been done in the city, and it includes targets to reduce the number of rough sleepers and improve the life chances of people who are homeless and sleeping rough.

Everyone agrees that sleeping rough is not an acceptable option for the people of Plymouth, and that we must all work together to tackle homelessness, reduce social exclusion and ensure that rough sleepers are encouraged to work with services that can help them off the streets.

The rough sleepers strategy complements other strategies in the city, particularly those relating to housing, community safety, health and well-being.

A fresh approach

With its emphasis on multi agency working and the joining up and co location of services, the strategy reflects Plymouth’s fresh approach to rough sleeping and our belief that sleeping rough is not a lifestyle that the city will sustain.

As a city, Plymouth will continue to address rough sleeping, improve services and actively seek to reduce, and ultimately end, rough sleeping. As well as learning from the best practice of others, we will actively involve service users in the planning and monitoring of services.

It is hoped that the rough sleepers strategy will eventually be incorporated into a comprehensive street population strategy for Plymouth dealing with street drinking, begging, rough sleeping and street-based drug activity.