Polish rough sleepers helped by Brent Council

Rough sleepers in Neasden and Alperton are being offered a helping hand by Brent Council and its partners.

There are five rough sleepers in Neasden and a further eight sleeping at an unused commercial unit in Alperton.

All are believed to be EU citizens from Poland and will not be entitled to claim benefits or receive assistance from the state here in the UK.

Brent Council has set up a temporary day centre and is offering hot food and drinks as well as advice every morning in a church hall in Alperton.

Both groups of rough sleepers are invited to use facilities at Cricklewood Homeless Concern (CHC) where they can access hot showers, laundry facilities, medical help and support to deal with their issues.

The rough sleepers at both sites are also receiving daily visits from representatives from CHC and officers working for Polish charity BARKA UK.

Following an application for funding to the CLG (Communities and Local Government) and the Government Office of London, Brent has recruited BARKA UK to offer support and advice to both groups of homeless people. BARKA UK has experience of working in other London boroughs and many of their staff have personal experience of rough sleeping and addiction problems in the UK.

Cllr James Allie, Lead Member for Housing and Customer Services, said: "The people sleeping out in Brent Streets have fallen on hard times and Brent is keen to do what ever it can to help. Unfortunately a lot of the rough sleepers are not just homeless but very vulnerable and suffering with a range of other issues. As soon as we became aware of their plight we have been in daily contact to offer whatever help we can."

Councillor Allie added: "Unfortunately most of the rough sleepers are not entitled to benefits, which means there is only a limited amount of help that we can provide. In addition, some of the group have lost their passports and would like to return home but can't afford the fare. BARKA UK can help with their papers and provide transport back to Poland."

A BARKA UK spokeswoman said: "Many rough sleepers are unable to find work because they can't speak English and have alcohol dependency issues. As they are not entitled to benefits we are working with them to offer help, support and the chance to voluntarily return home to Poland."