Street outreach service for people sleeping rough – Southwark

The contracting authority's vision is for a comprehensive outreach support service for rough sleepers in Southwark, which will play a key role in supporting a reduction in the numbers of people sleeping rough on the borough’s streets, thus helping to improve a range of outcomes, including housing and health, and reducing inequalities, involvement in crime and begging. The service will actively, and intensively, engage with people sleeping rough to support them to move away from a street-based lifestyle by providing a consistent point of contact, and building trust, to assist them in navigating support system pathways with partner agencies to meet their needs. The service will seek to contribute to reducing the severe health and social inequalities experienced by rough sleepers. The service has a critical role to play in reducing the longevity of the impact of health inequalities experienced by this group through rapid identification of people new to the streets, as well as existing rough sleepers, and facilitation of access to appropriate system support pathways that move them away from a street-based lifestyle at the earliest opportunity. The service must evidence a personalised approach in the delivery of engagement and interventions, and must view all service users as individuals with aspirations, resources and strengths, placing them at their centre of their individual recovery pathway, empowering them to make choices to take control over their lives and futures beyond their current situation. Additional information: The contracting authority proposed to host a bidders' event on Monday 13th December 2021 from 13:30 to 15:00