Being homeless means to have nowhere permanent and safe to call a home. Rough sleeping is a type of homelessness where someone sleeps on the street.
Rough sleepers may be sleeping, about to bed down or actually bedded down in the open air. They could be on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters, barns, stairwells, car parks or encampments.
Together with our charity partners, we work around the clock to offer accommodation and support services to help people leave homelessness behind.
Report someone sleeping rough
If you're concerned about someone sleeping rough, please alert us via StreetLink:
StreetLink connects rough sleepers to local support services for help. It is principally funded by the Government. By alerting us, our local outreach team can connect with the person you're worried about.
Report yourself as homeless or sleeping rough
If you are sleeping rough or about to become homeless, please contact us for help:
- 01733 864064 during office hours (please leave a message)
- 01733 864157 outside of office hours (emergency out of hours housing line)
You can register yourself as homeless using our Jigsaw website.
Alternatively, we have some walk-in sites:
- Outside Links, Bradfield House First Floor, Westgate, Peterborough, PE1 2SY - open 10.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Please note Wednesdays are women only between 1pm and 4pm.
- The Garden House, Gravel Walk, Minster Precincts, Peterborough, PE1 1YU - open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (closed Wednesday afternoons)
- Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Peterborough, PE2 8TY - open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
- Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough, PE1 1HF - open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Support services for rough sleepers
Our outreach teams work at all different times of the day and night. They help people sleeping rough to get off the streets and into accommodation.
We work with partners across the city to ensure we meet the holistic needs of rough sleepers. This includes:
- Drug and alcohol teams
- Mental health services
- Floating support teams
We offer a range of housing and outreach support services to support vulnerable people. These services help those people to:
- Maintain their independence
- Prevent rough sleeping and homelessness
- Avoid unnecessary hospital admissions
StreetVet
We work with StreetVet who provide veterinary services for the pets of rough sleepers.
Having a dog doesn't stop rough sleepers coming into accommodation. We have some accommodation settings that allow dogs.
Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP)
The Government recommends that councils have emergency provisions in place to prevent loss of life of rough sleepers in severe weather conditions.
We activate the Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP) when one of the following occurs:
- The overnight temperature is forecast to be zero degrees Celsius or below for three or more consecutive nights
- The Met Office issues an Amber or Red weather warning for Peterborough for rain, wind, snow, ice or heat
When this happens, we work with local charities to ensure that shelter is available to all verified rough sleepers in Peterborough.
If you’re rough sleeping, or have found someone rough sleeping, please call us on:
- 01733 864064 during office hours (please leave a message)
- 01733 864157 outside of office hours (emergency out of hours housing line)
If you’re rough sleeping and don’t have access to a phone, please go to the New Haven on Towler Street. They will contact us for you.
You can also let us know about a rough sleeper via the StreetLink website.
How you can help our work
You can get involved with our work by making a donation, fundraising or volunteering via the Safer Off The Streets website.
We strongly recommend against giving spare change to rough sleepers. We also encourage you not to give tents and / or bedding. This can reduce the amount they engage with our Outreach Team and support services.
