Colin Wiseman, Engagement and Outreach Service Manager, explains how the outreach service works and why it’s so critically important.
Our vision is of a society where street homelessness no longer exists, and everyone has a place to call home. The Passage has several internal teams to help in this mission, one of which is the Engagement and Outreach team. Our goal is to help people to move safely away from the streets by transforming their circumstances.
The Passage has a long and respected history of delivering effective street-based outreach.
The Passage Outreach Service is a community-focused intervention team, helping those most in need in the locality. There are two areas of focus within the Engagement and Outreach team’s work – we help tackle anti-social behaviour and we engage and support those who have a long-term history of rough sleeping.
We run outreach shifts morning and afternoon, covering a wide footprint in Victoria, Whitehall and Marylebone.
Our job is to collaborate, lead and coordinate wrap-around care plans that may involve treatment for substance misuse and mental health, physical health, and logistical issues such as organising I.D and benefit access, as well as opening gateways to housing and immediate routes off the street.
Every day a person spends without support increases the risk of them becoming entrenched on the streets
The challenges inherent to our work also take on a sharper edge in winter.
In colder weather, the needs of those we meet who are rough sleeping, are invariably heightened. When temperatures drop to dangerous levels, it’s our job to ensure that they have access to safety and shelter. In extreme weather conditions, SWEP – (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) is activated meaning that, as conditions become life threatening, extra emergency accommodation is created, and we then work with people at speed to provide access to that accommodation to prevent harm and protect lives.
This is ultimately why we go out onto the streets: to help remove the barriers that prevent the individual from gaining accommodation and keeping them safe.
Our end goal is to welcome our clients into a supportive and inclusive environment, where everyone feels comfortable and work with us towards ending their homelessness