Tackling rough sleeping and building a safer city centre
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden recently joined Dave Newmarch, Director of Property and Housing Services at Framework and Jack Dowell, Team Leader of Framework's Nottingham City Street Outreach Team, for a walk through Nottingham city centre to see first-hand the work being done to support people rough sleeping and help them move towards more stable accommodation.
The visit, captured in our latest video, provided an opportunity for the PCC to hear about the realities facing people experiencing homelessness, the support available to them and the work Framework teams carry out every day on the streets of Nottingham.
Walking through the city centre, Dave and Jack explained how Framework engages with people who are rough sleeping, builds relationships and works to connect individuals with the services and support they need.
The PCC was also able to visit some of Framework’s city centre accommodation facilities, seeing how having somewhere safe and secure to stay can provide an important first step towards helping people rebuild their lives.
Rough sleeping is rarely an issue that exists in isolation. People can face a complex combination of challenges, including substance use, poor mental health, trauma and for some, involvement with the criminal justice system. Addressing those underlying requires a coordinated response from housing, health, support services, local authorities, policing and community organisations. By working together, partners can help people access the support they need while creating safer communities for everyone.
The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss Operation Reclaim and the role Framework is playing in the ongoing partnership work to improve Nottingham city centre.
Operation Reclaim follows a ‘clear, hold and build’ approach, bringing organisations together to tackle the issues affecting the city centre while ensuring improvements can be sustained for the longer term.
Framework’s expertise is an important part of that partnership. Where criminality and antisocial behaviour are taking place, agencies will take action, but lasting change also requires partners to understand the factors that can lead people into homelessness and provide routes into appropriate support.
Alongside efforts to improve community safety, partners are working together to help people move away from rough sleeping and towards more stable, positive futures.
For the PCC, the visit was another opportunity to see how policing, local authorities, housing and homelessness services and other partners can work together rather than addressing these challenges in isolation.
It also demonstrated why improving safety in Nottingham city centre is about more than simply responding to individual incidents. The ‘clear, hold and build’ approach is designed to tackle immediate problems, prevent them from simply returning and then work with communities and partners to create positive, sustainable change.
A huge thank you to Dave, Jack and the wider Framework team for taking the time to show the PCC their work and for the support they continue to provide to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Watch the video to follow the PCC’s visit and find out more about the work taking place to tackle rough sleeping and help build a safer Nottingham city centre.
