Tally of rough sleepers in city

Apr 4 2008 by Rebecca Edwards, Chester Chronicle

NINE homeless people were found in Chester city centre last Thursday in an official count of rough sleepers.

The last Department for Communities and Local Government count in 2006 found six people in the city.

No rough sleepers were discovered in Vale Royal.

In Chester the street sleepers were in the Rows, in shop doorways and in car parks.

Seven men and two women were found, four aged in their mid-20s and five aged 30-40.

All were recognised by local homeless charities and have been offered places in Chester hostels but have turned them down or left due to mental health issues or drug addictions.

The count is carried out between 2am and 4am one night every two years and this year involved 60 volunteers from Chester homelessness agencies.

This year for the first time Queen’s Park, Handbridge, Upton and Newton were included in the count, but nobody was found there.

Chester City Council principal housing officer Paul Simpson said: “The city council is compiling the new homelessness strategy which will be published in July and this data will help us with that.”