Two people have been identified as sleeping rough in the South Hams this year – although the district council believes the true number of people without a permanent home in the South Hams is much higher.

As the shortage of affordable accommodation reaches “crisis point,” council leader, Cllr Judy Pearce, urges anyone who knows of someone sleeping rough to get in touch as the council aims to ensure “everyone has a safe and comfortable roof over their heads,” she said.

The figure of two arose following a snapshot count of people sleeping rough in Totnes and Ivybridge on November 8 and 9, together with an estimate of the numbers of people who are sleeping rough elsewhere in the district.

The number of people in this year’s snapshot is one more than last year, but the number of actual rough sleepers identified in Totnes remains lower than the seven counted in 2019.

Cllr Pearce, executive member for housing said: “The shortage of accommodation in our area that is at a price that local people can afford has reached crisis point.

“Sadly, this has also contributed to an increase in people who are sleeping rough this year.

“We do the count every year to identify any changes locally so we can design our future services to meet local need better. However, we know it will not include everyone.

“Some people who are sleeping rough will never make contact with our housing advice service so it would be very helpful if you let us know of anyone sleeping rough in the South Hams.

“If you don’t know their name, the place where they are usually found and a brief description would suffice.  

“We also realise that there is a huge number of other people in our district who do not have a home but are not sleeping rough – for example, sofa-surfers who are relying of friends and family to get by.

“As a council, we’re working to increase the number of properties locally available at below market rate to ease this issue.

“We’re committed to making sure everyone has a safe and comfortable roof over their heads.

“By working closely with other agencies and finding new ways to offer more safe accommodation, we can achieve that.

“Our Housing First project takes a holistic approach to offer a full range of support. Working with multiple agencies, this approach finds a suitable long-term home for someone who is homeless.

“It also significantly increases their chances of keeping the accommodation and making positive life choices.” 

The council says it uses estimates as the most accurate way of arriving at a number because the large geographic area of the South Hams means a full count would not be able to encompass all the areas involved. 

Instead the authority works with partnership agencies such as the police and rough sleeper drop-in centres.

The figure is based on verified sightings of people who are sleeping rough or individuals the council has strong reason to believe were rough sleeping on the specified night.

The figures on people sleeping rough in the district are preliminary only and will be verified later this year by The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

From now until 1 March 2022, the council offers additional support for homeless people through the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol.

Anyone sleeping rough, or anyone concerned about someone sleeping rough, can contact a member of the housing team about finding safe and warm accommodation during the winter months by phoning 01803 861234, or 01803 867034 out of office hours.