Over 300 people sleeping rough have been helped by a pioneering partnership between housing and homelessness charity Shelter, and two of Network Rail’s largest railway stations.
For the last year station staff at Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street have teamed up with the charity to find a route out of homelessness for people who are living on the streets around the major transport hubs.
Through the pilot, station staff have been specially trained by Shelter to connect and refer the people they encounter sleeping rough for tailored help and support.
Interventions by the outreach staff in the stations can be a first step in the process to securing settled accommodation and life-changing support for people living on the streets, some of whom have been sleeping rough for a long time.
To date the initiative has helped 316 people who were sleeping rough in or around the two major stations. The help includes support to access essential services, such as registering with a GP, mental health services and setting up a bank account, as well as support to access accommodation.
15 have secured settled housing, and another 135 have been helped into temporary accommodation. As it enters its second year the initiative hopes to do further work and help find settled housing for even more people on their journey out of homelessness.
The pilot will also see the opening of a new dedicated welfare room for the outreach project at Birmingham New Street station.
The room, furnished with donated furniture from Shelter’s partner and online retailer Wayfair, will give those seeking help a private space to have a hot drink and speak to engagement workers and station staff, away from the hustle of the station concourse. It’s thought to be the first dedicated room of its kind at a British railway station. A similar welfare room at Manchester Piccadilly is due to open in the coming weeks.
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s North West and Central region managing director, said: “It’s fantastic to see the real impact this outreach scheme has made to lives like Ryan’s and dozens of others in both Manchester and Birmingham, and the opening of the new welfare rooms.
“Before this partnership between Network Rail and Shelter, station staff often felt powerless because they didn’t know how best to help those without a safe and secure place to sleep for the night. Ryan’s success shows how equipping railway workers with the knowledge and skills to help people find a route out of homelessness can really turn lives around.”
