Basildon Emergency Night Shelter (BENS) has received national recognition for its excellent practice in supporting rough sleepers.
The shelter, which last winter opened for five nights each week in churches across the borough, has achieved the Housing Justice Quality Mark (HJQM) for Church and Community Night Shelters for Excellent Practice.
The accreditation scheme assesses volunteer training, health and safety, referrals and links with other homelessness agencies, and data collection and sharing.
BENS guests are provided with a hot drink and evening snack, somewhere to sleep, and breakfast before they leave in the morning.
Basildon Council also works with St Mungo’s to provide an outreach service to people sleeping rough in the local community. Outreach workers go out and contact people on the streets, talk to them about their situation, their health and other issues, and help them to move off the streets for good.
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough and want to connect them to local services, visit the national referral service at www.streetlink.org.uk
