What is the Street Service Workers role and how do they work?
SORT which stands for Street Out Reach Team is a new and innovative approach that for the first time encourages the public to take an active role in addressing the number of people sleeping rough by way of making direct referrals to the council. The service is undertaken on foot and has been largely restricted to the town centre. The new service aims to expand its service to include all areas of the town and will actively involve the public in the identification of people sleeping rough.
How will it work? If a member of the public sees a rough sleeper, they will ring Customer First (01253 477477) who will pass the information to a member of the team. The team will guarantee to respond within 12 hours (on bicycles) to try and engage the individual and start to work with them. This will largely involve referrals into services and emergency accommodation, primarily the night shelter. Feedback will be provided to any member of the public who makes contact.