Rural rough sleepers face harsh conditions as a taskforce warns of a hidden homelessness 'crisis'.
Former rural rough-sleeper Steve Phillips says he's been stamped on, set on fire, and had people urinate on himBut at least now he has a roof and a bed - and his name on a tenancy agreement.Steve says that after suffering abuse growing up in foster care, he spent decades in and out of prison and sleeping rough - much of that time in the Herefordshire countryside.
They say rural rough sleepers are often out of sight - camping, sleeping in barns or "sofa-surfing" - and fear that the cost-of-living crisis will add to their numbers."It's a lot more isolated. People walk past you like you're not there, or can be abusive. When I was homeless in Birmingham I would meet loads of different people... and if they didn't see you for a few days they'd try to find you and see how you were.
"In rural areas there's nothing for rough sleepers at all," says Steve, who has since been found a permanent place to live. "There's no hostels, there's only a night shelter in the winter. Come January time there are no hostels for homeless people to go in. Without this place I'd still be on the street."Image caption,
A spokesperson added: "Herefordshire made good ground during the recent pandemic, helping 200 people with accommodation." The council said it had reduced the number of rough sleepers in the county to 19, most of whom had been provided with accommodation at some point. Ruth Poyner, of the West Sussex-based charity Turning Tides, explains: "These are often affluent areas and it is really easy for people to think 'homelessness isn't a problem around here' simply because they rarely see homeless people.""Some of these may be sofa-surfing or sleeping in cars, buy many will be in the countryside out of sight," she says. "Rough sleeping is dangerous and frightening.
"There is a misconception they might affect house prices, there is a misconception about who is going to live in those homes, and there is a stigma attached to affordable homes as well," he says.
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