Information and support for people who are rough sleeping or homeless
If you are concerned about someone rough sleeping, you can notify us through StreetLink. Please remember to give us as much information as possible.
This sends an alert straight to us so we can find the person and offer them support.
Rough sleeping is an extreme form of homelessness. It is when someone has nowhere else to go. This may mean that they are sleeping on the streets or in a tent.
If you or someone you know, is at risk of becoming homeless, please see our webpage: Homeless or at risk of losing your home
Helping someone who is rough sleeping can be complex. It involves more than just finding them accommodation. There are often many underlying reasons why someone has nowhere to live. A person may need more support from many different services.
RISE is a partnership between Thanet District Council, Serveco, Forward Trust, Invicta Health Care and DWP, forming a multi-agency team to work with those who are rough sleeping and most in need of support.
RISE stands for Rough sleeper Intervention, Support and Empowerment.
The Thanet RISE project is a multi-agency partnership, working together to support rough sleepers in Thanet. The partner organisations include:
This award-winning project helps people find and keep a home. We do this by addressing any underlying barriers.
Our team works together to provide all the support someone might need. The team includes:
Working together to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping in our community.
PermalinkRISE Outreach Support
Our Outreach Team goes out early in the morning and late at night to find and check on people who are sleeping rough. We work with each person to create a personal support plan. This plan helps them tackle any underlying barriers that stop them from getting a home.
Support can include many things. We can help with:
We assess what each person needs and make sure their plan is centred around them. We offer as much support as needed. Our help continues even after someone moves into a home.
We can only help people who are willing to work with us. We know that for some, this can start with small steps. The RISE team holds no enforcement powers, so we will work with clients at their own pace.
This wrap-around support helps people to live more fulfilling lives. It also helps them to keep their home long-term.
RISE Inreach Support
We know that some people need more support than others. That is why we focus on each person as an individual. We match our support to their specific needs to give them the best chance of success.
This detailed support also gives landlords peace of mind.
Here is how we do it:
How to get help if you are homeless
If you are homeless, or worried you might become homeless, you must apply for housing support via the Kent Housing Group website.
If it is an emergency outside of office hours, you can call 01843 577000.
Help for rough sleepers
If you are sleeping rough, you must first complete a Homeless Approach with the council’s Housing Options Team.
If they decide they cannot offer you priority housing, they will refer you to RISE for support.
What happens when you are referred to RISE
First, the RISE team will confirm that you are rough sleeping.
Once verified, they will invite you to a needs assessment meeting with a team member from each service within RISE. At this meeting, a care plan will be created for you, and you will be assigned a Rough Sleeping Navigator.
How your Rough Sleeping Navigator will support you
Your Rough Sleeping Navigator will help you with appointments, tasks, and searching for a property. They can also refer you to other services if you need them.
You will meet with a Landlord Liaison Officer to check what rent you can afford.
Once you are ready for a tenancy and a property is found, the RISE team will support you as you move in.
Support after you move in
Your Rough Sleeping Navigator will continue to support you after you are in your new home. This help includes:
Getting help from RISE again
Once you are settled, our support may end. However, you can get help from RISE again at any time. You can contact us directly, or your landlord can call our Landlord Liaison Officer on your behalf.
PermalinkWhen extreme weather is forecast, the council has an emergency protocol to help people who are sleeping rough. This plan is called the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP).
Extreme weather can be anything that puts people sleeping on the streets at greater risk. This often means very cold weather or heavy rain, and can also apply to periods of hot weather.
To decide when to use the protocol, we look at local weather forecasts and conditions.
When SWEP is active, we will post on our social media channels. We will offer emergency accommodation to any person confirmed to be sleeping rough in the district.
We do this to prevent deaths caused by extreme weather.
More information is available on the Homeless Link website.
PermalinkTo contact the RISE Team please email us at roughsleeping@thanet.gov.uk or call us on 07522342686.
Drop in and see us:
There are regular drop-in services available to rough sleepers across Thanet.
More details are available on our information card
RISE information card – plain text version
PermalinkThere are lots of ways you can help people and get involved by donating or volunteering your time:
Thanet District Council has been awarded £3,808,270 of funding by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, through the Rough Sleeping Initiative.
The Thanet RISE team, based at Thanet District Council, has won the ‘Team of the Year’ prize at the Kent Housing Group Excellence Awards – just one year after it was formed.
Support the Thanet Winter Shelter Celebrating one year of RISE Thanet’s award winning Winter Shelter, a safe place for homeless people to take shelter in during the harsh winter months, opens on 11 November 2019.
Thanet RISE officially launched on Wednesday 10 October. It is a new project set up specifically to support rough sleepers in the district.