Hartlepool Comes Together for World Homeless Day as We Complete Our Biggest Street Sweep Yet

Our Homeless Response Team completed its biggest street sweep to date in the early hours of Saturday 10th October, covering more than 10 miles of Hartlepool as part of our World Homeless Day efforts.

Three teams, led by our experienced Homeless Response Leads, set out at midnight on Friday night to locate people sleeping rough and offer immediate support.

Our Housing Team remained at our Hartlepool Homeless Hub throughout the operation, ready to welcome anyone who accepted the accommodation and support options available.

Understanding the Challenges of Homelessness

With over 20 years of experience supporting people in housing distress, we understand that getting someone off the streets is not always as straightforward as offering them somewhere to stay.

There are many reasons why someone may be reluctant to accept help, including previous experiences, mental health difficulties, personal circumstances or a lack of trust.

Our approach is to give people realistic choices and support them in making their own decisions. We know from experience that this is one of the most effective ways to help people not only leave the streets, but remain off them.

Throughout the night, many individuals accepted the support offered, while others chose not to.

For those who weren’t ready, our Homeless Response Team will continue its regular outreach work, maintaining contact and offering support when they feel able to take that next step.

We know that homelessness cannot be solved in one night. Building trust takes time, and sometimes it takes several conversations before someone feels ready to accept help.

An Incredible Effort From Our Teams and Volunteers

We would like to thank our staff and volunteers who gave up their Friday night and Saturday morning to support this year’s World Homeless Day efforts.

Among those volunteering were people with their own lived experience of homelessness, whose knowledge and understanding proved invaluable in helping our teams cover as many areas of Hartlepool as possible.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who took part, particularly those who had already worked a full week before returning to support the overnight operation.

Our thanks also go to JH Property connect and Lisa Hawkins from Hunwick Workmen’s Club for their generous donations of freshly prepared food to our Hartlepool Homeless Hub.

We would also like to thank Helen, Community Champion at ASDA Hartlepool, who provided breakfast supplies for those receiving support on Saturday morning and kindly volunteered her time at the hub.

Thank You, Hartlepool 💙

Finally, we would like to thank the people of Hartlepool for the support shown throughout our World Homeless Day appeal.

From sharing our posts and reporting concerns about people sleeping rough to offering donations and encouragement, the response from the community has been greatly appreciated.

We know that tackling homelessness takes more than one organisation, and the support of the local community plays an important part in helping us reach those who need assistance.

While we are proud of what our teams achieved overnight, we recognise that there is still much more to do.

For those who accepted our support, the next steps are already underway. For those who weren’t ready, our teams will continue to be there.

World Homeless Day may be one day in the calendar, but our work supporting people experiencing homelessness continues every day of the year.

From everyone at Cornerstone, thank you for your continued support.

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