Over 300 people sleeping rough have been helped by a pioneering partnership between housing and homelessness charity Shelter, and two of Network Rail’s largest railway stations.

For the last year station staff at Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street have teamed up with the charity to find a route out of homelessness for people who are living on the streets around the major transport hubs.

Through the pilot, station staff have been specially trained by Shelter to connect and refer the people they encounter sleeping rough for tailored help and support.

Interventions by the outreach staff in the stations can be a first step in the process to securing settled accommodation and life-changing support for people living on the streets, some of whom have been sleeping rough for a long time.

To date the initiative has helped 316 people who were sleeping rough in or around the two major stations. The help includes support to access essential services, such as registering with a GP, mental health services and setting up a bank account, as well as support to access accommodation.

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