If you see someone sleeping rough in London, you can make a referral via the Streetlink website.
Making an outreach team aware of a rough sleeper is simple, and can change a life.
Once a referral is made, Streetlink will alert the rough sleeper team that covers that borough so they can respond to the referral.
Please do not report rough sleepers through SPEAR’s social media, email or phone numbers. Referrals through Streetlink are the best way to ensure that no referral is missed and that the right team is allocated to see the client.
SPEAR's outreach teams encounter people on their first steps from homelessness to independence – providing pathways and support to assist people off the streets.
We work with people who are rough sleeping, and do shifts late at night and early in the morning to find these individuals. SPEAR then works with people on a housing pathway, and assists them to link into various support services, tailored to the challenges an individual might face.
Currently, SPEAR provides a homeless outreach service to rough sleepers in the boroughs of Richmond, Wandsworth and Kingston.
The outreach teams also have navigators, who work with clients who may have complex needs or are particularly entrenched in the street homeless lifestyle.
Igor’s story
Further Information
Please note we do not work with those who are sofa surfing or insecurely housed – these people should make a homelessness application with their local authority to get assistance.
SPEAR’s Outreach teams are commissioned only to work with those rough sleeping. We would encourage you to use the Streetlink referral mechanism. However, if there are any challenges with making the Streetlink referral, Outreach Teams can be contacted using the following email address:
Please note that without signed explicit consent from a client, we will be unable to discuss specific cases with you, due to GDPR and data protection. We appreciate this can be frustrating if you have seen a rough sleeper on a number of occasions. Please be aware that in most cases, we will be aware of the rough sleeper, and will have offered support. Some individuals have complex backgrounds, and it can take time, patience, and trust for an individual to accept the support that is available to them.
You can also call our rough sleeper helpline, on 0208 404 1481, but again, we cannot discuss individual cases without explicit consent.
To find out more about Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, please click here.
Rebecca, Outreach Worker
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