About this Talk
Urban rough sleeping receives a lot of focus due to it's inherent visibility. However, rough sleeping is a growing crisis facing rural areas, driven by limited access to services, lower wages and an absence of affordable homes.
In this session, Rory Weal, Strategic Policy Lead for Rural Homelessness at English Rural will provide an overview of the picture of rural homelessness and it's unique challenges and potential solutions, and Will Neville, Rough Sleeper Outreach Team Lead for Herefordshire Council, will contribute his expertise in a rural setting and practical examples of working across Herefordshire. We will consider challenges of rough sleeper outreach in rural locations, such as the vast areas outreach teams have to cover, the difficulties of finding people bedded down in rural locations, and how Will and his team are working successfully to overcome these challenges and reduce rough sleeper numbers across the county.