Manchester Piccadilly station staff have joined forces with the housing charity Shelter to help people sleeping rough around the major transport hub.The pioneering partnership has seen members of the station team specially trained by Shelter Engagement workers as part of a new outreach scheme which began in October 2020.Network Rail staff work with Shelter’s own engagement workers to connect and refer the people they encounter sleeping rough with Shelter’s expert services in order to provide them with tailored help and support.Since the pilot started, 100 people who were sleeping rough in or around Manchester Piccadilly have been helped by the partnership.The help includes support to access to different services, such as registering with a GP, mental health services and setting up a bank account.Crucially, 32 people were helped into emergency or temporary accommodation, and a further five have been helped into permanent accommodation so far.Birmingham New Street station has also been involved in the joint initiative, with a total of 168 people helped across both cities.

Many of the people helped have been living on the streets for a long time, and the interventions by the outreach staff in the stations are a first step in the process to securing permanent accommodation and life-changing support.

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