County Gazette and Arc's £40,000 to fund Outreach team for rough sleepers

But as the strings on the public purse are pulled tighter, what can be done to help those most vulnerable?

In Taunton, a dedicated team from Arc, formally Taunton Association for the Homeless, known as ‘outreach’ work tirelessly to reach those taking their chances on the streets, not just in Taunton, but across the county.

Funding varies slightly from year to year but, in total, the service costs in the region of £90k per year.

The team covers everywhere and anywhere in Taunton Deane, Sedgemoor and West Somerset. So on any one day the team might be called to Cheddar, Minehead or Bridgwater and Taunton.

The local authorities have had to tighten their belts even more recently but have pledged to continue to support the Outreach Team as much as they can, but this only makes up around 50 per cent of the costs and the money will run out in December.

Arc hosts fundraising events in order to bridge the gap, but even after a £10k effort with The Big Sleep Out, there is still a shortfall. 
In order to fund Outreach for another year, £40,000 needs to be raised.

A rough sleeper's belongings in a Taunton alleyway. 

The remaining amount can only be made up from donations, so the County Gazette has teamed up with the valued homelessness charity in a bid to raise the remaining amount.

In a new campaign launching today, August 2, the County Gazette is asking its readers to support Arc and the Outreach team in an effort to raise £40,000 to subsidise the budget.

A series of articles outlining why the work the charity does is so important will feature in the coming weeks, as we learn the ins and outs of the challenges Arc faces when tackling homelessness.

County Gazette editor, Paul Jones, said: “The work of Arc has never been more important and we are happy to do what we can to help.

“Homelessness is a major issue for our readers and I’m sure they will be keen to help such a worthwhile cause.

“We know £40,000 is a big ask, but if we can do our best to raise as much as possible, we’ll know we are doing our bit to tackle such a huge problem.”

By donating through the charity, you can be sure your money is being put to good use.

The Outreach team consists of one full time and two part-time workers based at Lindley House Homeless Hostel in Taunton.

They manage nine crash pad beds at Lindley House which include four beds in a communal room, three single rooms and a two bed room. Rough sleepers are assessed and offered a crash pad bed on a night by night basis with a view to moving into a room in the hostel or other suitable accommodation.

There are four crash pad beds in Bridgwater at Thorncombe House which include three beds in a communal room and one single for females. Rough sleepers are assessed by housing options officers at Sedgemoor District Council for these beds.

The Outreach Team is most often the first point of contact for rough sleepers. The team do early morning Outreach walkabouts to locate new rough sleepers and do welfare checks on those known to services.

They respond as quickly as possible to reports from the general public or other agencies of rough sleepers seen in an area or to direct contact from rough sleepers themselves. They engage with rough sleepers at drop in services in Taunton and Bridgwater, where they offer support, advice and signposting to address housing issues and assess for accommodation at the hostel or other suitable accommodation.

Read below real life stories of former rough sleepers as they describe how the Outreach team helped them: 

SAVE OUTREACH: Real stories from former rough sleepers helped by Arc's Outreach team

Justin Roxburgh, CEO. 

Arc CEO, Justin Roxburgh, said: “We are all aware of the numbers of people on our streets who appear to be homeless, but we can never be sure.

“Some people who are begging are not actually homeless, they are raising money for other needs, perhaps drug addiction.

“By donating to Arc you can be sure that the money is being well spent. People can be assured that 100 per cent of the money they donate in this campaign will go to fund the Outreach Team, out in all weathers, early in the mornings supporting rough sleepers.”

To donate to the Save Outreach campaign, visit justgiving.com/campaign/SaveOutreach.

Donations can also be made to Arc through cheques to TAH, cash donations bank transfers.

Contact Rosie Hather on rhather@arcinspire.co.uk, 01823 271326 or at 7 The Crescent, Taunton, for information.