HOMELESS people getting off the streets is part of Bracknell Forest Council's plan to eliminate rough sleeping in the UK by 2027.

The council welcomed the governments pledge on Thursday, February 27, to "work hard" to reduce the number of people sleeping rough in the borough.

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Since 2019, the number of homeless people in the borough has reduced from 30 to 12.

Councillor Dale Birch, executive member for adult services, health and housing at BFC, said: “Rough sleeping is an issue which has been rising for many years nationally and Bracknell Forest has not been immune to that. We take our responsibility to address rough sleeping very seriously, which is why we now have a person- centred approach in place to not only provide accommodation, but to provide support for the person’s health and wellbeing too.

“The council’s rough sleeper team has, according to our latest bi-monthly figures, dramatically reduced the number of people sleeping rough in the borough by 60 per cent in just eight months. We are continuing to provide these people with the support they need to ensure they don’t end up rough sleeping in the future, while also working with the remaining 40 per cent of rough sleepers." BFC has a dedicated team working to end rough sleeping, with includes outreach workers, accommodation and support offices and a mental health professional.

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The team works in conjunction with other organisations in the borough, including health services, drug and alcohol addiction services, faith and voluntary groups to provide a better support system for people with complex and complicated issues — rather than just finding a 'quick fix'.

Part of the teams role is to go out and identify and engage with rough sleepers in Bracknell.

However, the council says this is a challenge as the majority of Bracknell's rough sleepers are located within the forests and woodland.

Cllr Birch added: "In stepping up our approach to rough sleeping, we are now able to more accurately count the number of rough sleepers in Bracknell Forest, which wasn’t the case in 2018.

“I have confidence in our new team that we will provide the best possible service to our rough sleepers and that we now have no hidden rough sleepers within the borough.”