Police chief hails work to tackle homelessness in Mansfield

Inspector Nick Butler, Mansfield district commander, said there was a lot of good work going on in Mansfield, “particularly regarding rough sleeping”.

Speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast, he said: “In the past, a number of people you will see in the town in doorways.

“That number has got less and less as the months have gone on, but we are out there to engage with them and help them along with a charity called Framework.

“We just make sure those people have got access to support and, where there are substance misuse issues, they’re able to access services to support them.

“That works really well in Mansfield.

“We’ve got some great provision and some brilliant people working alongside the people in town that need that help.

“However, what we have found is there are still a few people in doorways who need help. so if you get a chance, go to frameworkha.org and that talks about the work going on in the town and you can highlight where you have find people sleeping who might need that support.”

Insp Butler’s comments came after new Mansfield MP Ben Bradley pledged to make homelessness one of his priorities.

Mr Bradley, who was elected as Mansfield first Conservative MP in June, said: “We do have an issue with homelessness in Mansfield and I believe we need to work together to make sure we can improve the lives of the people who want to be helped.”

It comes after a council report in January revealed the number of people sleeping rough in Mansfield had more than trebled in the previous 12 months.

In a snapshot taken in autumn 2016, Mansfield District Council reported an increase in known rough sleepers from eight to 27 in the past year.

Agencies pledged to increase support in 2017 to work with rough sleepers in the town, following a meeting of the Mansfield Homeless Network,

The council, working with Framework, set up a street outreach team to make contact with people sleeping rough, which is reported to have had a significiant impact in addressing the problem.

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