To report rough sleeping:
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Cambridge, please contact the Street Outreach Team (SOT) on 01223 366292 and let them know the time and place you saw the person.
Reporting someone sleeping rough is the best way to ensure they are known to statutory authorities and have been offered all the support available to them.
Practically assisting someone you know is, or think might be, homeless:
Our professional experience and many honest conversations with people who have experienced homelessness suggest to us that giving cash to someone on the street is most often not a helpful or sustainable way to assist someone you think might be homeless.
If you feel safe and confident talking to someone, and won’t feel pressured into giving or promising something you’re not comfortable with, this can be a very good approach.
If you feel comfortable buying someone food, a non-alcoholic drink, clothing or other emergency items, please do remember to ask them if these things would be useful first, and only buy what you are comfortable paying for.
If people ask for further advice on sources of support, please see Homeless in Cambridge?
For more information about how we believe you can best help people experiencing homelessness in the long-term, we encourage you to explore our Volunteer training course
For further reflections on why giving cash often isn’t a good idea, please see this helpful article: