Vadims Aleksejevs

NORTHAMPTON
BOROUGH COUNCIL

PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
Mr H Shah
Assistant Coroner for the Coroner Area of
Northamptonshire
110 Whitworth Road
Northampton
NN14HJ

Our Ref:

DKA/B/7803r2

Contact:

E-mail:

David Kennedy

vbullock@norttiampton.gov.uk

28'^ April 2017

Dear Mr Shah

Re: VadimsALEKSEJEVS (deceased)
Letter to prevent future deaths

March 2017 concerning  Mr Vadims
Thank you for  your  letter  and  report dated 
Aleksejevs (deceased). Please find beiow our response to the 5 matters of concern raised
in your report, inciuding detaiis of the action taken to prevent future deaths.

Background

Northampton  Borough  Councii - in  its  capacity as the  iocai  housing  authority - is
responslbie for tackiing and preventing  homeiessness, meeting its statutory obligations
(under the homeiessness legislation) towards people who are homeless or threatened with
homeiessness, and minimising the number of people sleeping rough in the borough.

Each year, the Council organises two, borough-wide rough sleepers counts (which are
informed  by local intelligence and carried  out in  accordance with  nationally-determined
criteria) between Midnight and 3.00am.

Although the Councii employs two full-time Street Outreach Workers to find  and help
people who are sleeping rough, it can only make a real and lasting difference if it  works
with a wide range of other organisations to tackle and address the problem.

During the first half of 2016, the Council hosted a series of workshops (attended by thirty
services and organisations) and, in July 2016, it published a 3 year strategy; TOGETHER
we change lives - ending the need for people to sleep rough in Northampton'.
httD://www.northampton.qov.uk/downloads/download/3181/northamptons-muItl-

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In February 2017, the Council opened an all-year-round Nightshelter in the former British
Rail  Sports & Social Club  in  St Andrew's Road, Northampton. With the capacity to
accommodate up to 20 homeless men, Northampton's  Nightshelter is the first  of ten
objectives in 'TOGETHER we change lives'.

Continued/...

 Matters of concern

I will address each matter of concern in the order in which you have raised it:

(1) There are "lots of people" living on this campsite. At the time of the deceased's

death there were 7 tents containing Latvian, Polish and other nationals.

At the time of the deceased's death, the Council's Street Outreach Workers were not
aware of the 'campsite' on which the deceased had been sleeping.

Although visits were subsequently made to the site by the Outreach Workers and a Park
Ranger (following the deceased's death) in December 2016, it appears that the occupants
may have moved away from the site very soon after the deceased's death.

We are aware of a number of makeshift 'campsites' that have sprung up in Northampton
and are occupied predominantly by groups of men from Eastern Europe. Although some of
these men are working, it is understood that none of them are exercising their treaty rights.
This means that they remain in the UK unlawfully.

As soon as the Council's Street Outreach Workers become aware of a 'campsite', they will
make contact with  the occupants and offer them  advice and  assistance.  Repeated
attempts will be made to engage with the occupants with a view to them being offered
housing and support or, alternatively, a voluntary reconnection to their country of origin.

Acknowledging the dangers associated with sleeping rough, the Council works closely with
the Police and the East of England Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Team and,
where the Council's offers of assistance are repeatedly refused - more often than not due
to an- unwillingness to pay rent for any housing that is offered - efforts will be made to
disrupt the sites through enforcement action, including the administrative  removal of
individuals from the UK where they are not exercising their treaty rights.

During the past six months, there has been an increase in the number of people sleeping
in  tents  on  public  and  private  land  outside  of  Northampton's town  centre.  These
'campsites' - which include the site occupied by the deceased - are visited regularly by
the Street Outreach Workers, the Park Rangers, the Police and the Immigration Service.

Based on current intelligence, we estimate that there are between 15-20 people (all of
whom are believed to be male and from Eastern Europe) living on 3 sites. These sites are
being visited regularly, and rigorous and persistent, multi agency efforts are being made to
discourage and prevent people from sleeping rough on these and other sites.

(2) The circumstances of this case may present themselves again over winter.

The winter period poses a very serious risk to the health and wellbeing of people who are
sleeping  rough. During severe weather, Northampton's SWEP Project (a partnership
between the Council, NAASH and the Hope Centre, based at Oasis House) is activated.

Although there is no strict definition of what counts as 'severe weather', the SWEP Project
will  be activated during any weather (including extreme cold, wind and rain) that might
increase the risk of serious harm to people who are sleeping rough.  Ordinarily, it will be
activated when the temperature is forecast to fall below freezing for 3 consecutive nights.

INVESTORS 
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 In January 2016, the SWEP Project provided rough sleepers with emergency shelter, food,
advice and support for 7 consecutive nights and, in January 2017, it was operational for
the same number of nights. In both years, around two thirds of the people who accessed
the Project were EU Nationals from Eastern Europe who said they were sleeping rough but
did not appear to be engaging with local services or exercising their treaty rights.

When SWEP is  operational,  the  Council  notifies  a  wide  range  of  services  and
organisations who are likely to come into contact with rough sleepers, so that they too are
able to provide relevant advice and direct them to access the SWEP Project.

We have established that the deceased accessed the SWEP Project in Oasis House in
January 2016 for its duration of 7 nights. At the time, he was not exercising his treaty rights
and we have found no evidence that he engaged with the help and support that was
available to him, at that time, to access housing and support services.

The establishment of Northampton's Nightshelter in February 2017 is already playing an
important role in ensuring that, when someone is sleeping rough, or is at risk of sleeping
rough, they can immediately be offered a place to stay that is safe, warm and dry while
they engage with the services best placed to assess and address their needs.

For many people, the Nightshelter will  provide them with an invaluable 'stop gap' that
meets their immediate needs when they have become homeless at short notice and while
they are helped to make their own housing arrangements. For others, it  will  provide
somewhere safe  to  stay  while  they  await  a  move into  Oasis  House  or  one of
Northampton's other supported housing schemes.

Alternative arrangements have been put in  place to accommodate any women sleeping
rough, and these arrangements are funded by the Council.

Although the circumstances of this case may present themselves again in future winters,
the Council has clear procedures in place to help those who want to access housing and
support, and to help everyone during periods of severe weather.

For those who want to leave the streets and access housing and support, there are clear
pathways to  help achieve this quickly and effectively. Even those who are unable or
unwilling to access the Nightshelter are able to work with the Street Outreach Workers to
come off the streets  by accessing  housing and support through  Northampton's Multi
Agency Assessment Panel. The Assessrnent Panel is attended by a wide range of housing
and support providers, and members oif the Panel work together to agree housing and
support plans for each individual presented to the Panel by the Street Outreach Workers.

(3) It Is not known if adult social care or addiction services provide any form of

outreach service to the homeless.

Northamptonshire  County  Council's  Adult  Social  Care team  commissions  outreach
services for homeless people by two drug and alcohol advice and support services: Bridge
and S2S.

The outreach services provided  by Bridge and S2S work closely and flexibly with the
Council's two Street Outreach Workers to meet the individual needs of homeless people.
They have played a key role in the development and implementation of Northampton's
multi agency rough sleepers strategy, TOGETHER we change lives'.

INVESTORS 
V/ IN PEOPLE

www.northampton.gov.uk

 The Council's Street Outreach Workers carry out at least 2 outreach sessions each week,
commencing early in the morning at 5.30am and late at night at 10.30pm. They respond to
all reports and alerts of suspected rough sleeping sites, including tents, 'campsites' and
people seen bedded down. Reports and alerts are received from a variety of sources
including a range of services and organisations, members of the public, and Streetlink.

(4) It is not known If the campsite houses other vulnerable individuals, such as

children or the elderly.

Based on the intelligence we have gathered, we are satisfied that that there are no women
or children ~ and no men who are elderly or disabled - living on the 'campsites'.

It  is  known, however, that the 'campsites' do contain some people who have severe
addictions - including people who have a severe alcohol dependency - and are refusing
help and support. Their vulnerability is compounded by the fact that, when all efforts to
engage them are exhausted, they will  not necessarily  be subjected to administrative
removal from the UK. This is not in this Council's control.

(5) It Is unclear if there are other housing options available or Indeed If there Is any

statutory duty to house vulnerable Individuals living In such campsites.

The Council does not have a statutory duty to house everyone who is homeless.

The Council will only provide emergency accommodation, or settled accommodation, to
some homeless people. This is set out in the homelessness legislation: Part 7 of the
Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002 and Localism Act 2011).

The Council will only provide someone with emergency accommodation - except at the
Nightshelter - if it  has reason to believe that they are homeless, they are eligible for
assistance and they are (or may be) in priority need. Although some priority need groups
are automatic, most single people under pensionable age will only be deemed to be in
priority  need  if  they are vulnerable for a reason or a variety  of reasons. The term
'vulnerable' should be taken to mean 'vulnerable' under the terms of the statute.

The Street Outreach Workers provide crisis support and advice to those they find sleeping
rough who are new to the streets, and are able to help them to access housing and
support quickly and effectively, preventing any further deterioration whilst on the streets.

They also offer a Housing Advice Drop-In at Oasis House, Monday to Friday from 9.00am
until 1.00pm, and this complements the opening hours of the Hope Centre (a day centre
for vulnerable people, including homeless people and rough sleepers) which is also based
at Oasis House. The Hope Centre encourages homeless people to work with the Street
Outreach Workers and access the Housing Advice Drop-In and Nightshelter.

For those more entrenched rough sleepers, and those who are refusing to come off the
streets - due to a reluctance, perhaps, to  pay rent/service  charges and/or address
addictions - the  regular  outreach  sessions  provide  the  opportunity for  repeat  and
persistent conversations. This approach has led  to some behaviour change amongst
entrenched rough sleepers, and the team will continue to try new approaches until the
same behaviour change is achieved with others who are still refusing to leave the streets.

INVESTORS 
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 For those who are homeless and sleeping rough - and where they are willing to engage
with the advice and help that is available - there are clear pathways to access housing
(including the Nightshelter, Oasis House and other housing schemes) and support.

For those who are sleeping rough and are either refusing to co-operate with the help and
advice that is available or are resistant to everyone's efforts to persuade them to come off
the streets, there are also clear pathways as to how this will be tackled.

For those entrenched rough sleepers who tend to gravitate to the town centre area of
Northampton, the  most common reason  cited  for refusing  to  leave the streets  is  a
reluctance to address alcohol and drug addictions. They are aware, however, that services
and organisations will work proactively with them to help them address their addictions,
change their behaviours, improve their life chances and achieve their aspirations.

In  order to keep people safe and bring  about behaviour change, the Council and its
partners are doing everything they can to deliver a clear and consistent message about
how dangerous it is to sleep rough and to take robust, decisive and effective action.

Although I  trust that this letter has addressed the matters of concern that you have raised
in your report, please do let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Yours sincerely

I

David Kennedy
Chief Executive

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