Homeless and Rough Sleeping Sun 12 Jan 2025
If you see someone who is potentially homeless and sleeping rough out on the street, how do you help? Bradford Council has commissioned a service to help and how you can get involved.
Help For People Who Are Sleeping Rough
Bradford Council has commissioned a service to help people who are sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough in the district. Humankind run this service, which is called Bradford No Second Night Out.
No Second Night Out is open 365 days a year and offers a range of services to rough sleepers including outreach work, assessments and advice as well as coordinating the delivery of the Cold Weather provision for rough sleepers. They can also provide short term emergency accommodation when people have nowhere else to stay.
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Bradford, you can contact No Second Night Out in the following ways:
- By phone on 01274 309165
- By email at bradford@humankindcharity.org.uk.
- In person at Discovery House, 133 Barkerend Road, Bradford, BD3 9AU
If you are at risk of sleeping rough, you can refer yourself.
Report A Rough Sleeper
You can also contact Street Link with details of someone sleeping rough. Streetlink is a national organisation that helps members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with services that can help. Contact Streetlink - https://thestreetlink.org.uk/
Streetlink will forward the details to Bradford No Second Night Out who will then make contact with the rough sleeper.
No Second Night Out will respond to referrals within 24 hours and aims to identify and work with the individual to assess their housing and other needs as quickly as possible.
Cold Weather Provision
The Cold Weather provision is a multi-agency partnership that provides emergency bed spaces in Bradford to rough sleepers on freezing winter nights, commissioned by Bradford Council.
The service operates between 1 October and 30 April and opens when the predicted temperature for the upcoming evening is due to fall to zero or below. The Cold Weather partners provide emergency beds for clients in communal rooms, so no-one has to sleep on the streets on the coldest winter nights.
Referrals to the service are made by approaching the Day Shelter, 371 Leeds Road, Bradford, BD3 9NG in person. A lateral flow test will need to be taken to establish if you are COVID positive. The referral desk is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 4pm when cold weather is activated. Access to the service over the weekend and Bank Holidays can be made over the phone on 01274 309165 between the same hours.
Referrals will include a brief assessment to try and find a suitable bed space for the client for the night. The Cold Weather partners will also try and help clients find somewhere to live over the long term.
How Can I Help Homeless People?
There are lots of different ways you can help from volunteering to donating to charities who work with local homeless people. Visit Street Support Bradford for more details