Outreach

Who do we walk alongside?

From their very own base at 58 Harpur Street, our outreach team provides practical support and advocacy for those who are at risk of homelessness, currently homeless or needing support to sustain an unstable housing situation. We bring hope to some of the most marginalised and forgotten clients in our community.

We identify, build relationships with and support our clients during the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

If you are concerned about someone who is sleeping rough, you can make a referral via Streetlink.

What are clients looking for when the come to us?

Practical Support

Food, clothing, etc. We tailor our support to the needs of each individual.

Community

Consistency of support and opportunities for meaningful connection with others.

What support do we offer our clients?

We offer practical support of food, clothing and rough sleeper bedding packs. We also have a shower and clothes washing facilities.

Our Outreach workers provide client focused, trauma informed case support. Each client will have their own personalised support plan. This can include support with finding and or sustaining housing, assistance with benefits, health appointments and signposting to other local support services.

We have a wealth of experience in supporting a diverse range of clients, many with complicated support issues.

We work closely with the Pathways team who provide opportunities for community, support and training. In addition, one of the options available is for them to refer to our Accommodation Team for supported housing.

The Outreach team work from Monday to Friday (9-5pm) at 58 Harpur Street, Bedford MK40 2QT. If someone needs help, they can come to the offices where they will either be seen immediately or given an appointment time.

Why do we do what we do?

A new client arrived at the offices having just been released from prison. He had nowhere to go, no appointments set up and had been in prison for a number of years so had no idea what he should do next.

One of our team took him to the council and got his appointments set up. They got him organised with temporary accommodation for the next day and got his probation and ongoing appointments sorted with other support agencies. As he was leaving for the day, he got very emotional and said, “Thank you for all your help. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t answered the door to me. I’m not sure I’d still be here. You’ve saved my life!”