Rough sleepers in Stourbridge are to be offered help by Dudley Council and the police to get them off the streets.

Local police officers and members of the local authority’s homeless prevention team will be in the town centre this Friday. They will be there to speak to those presenting themselves as homeless and offer placements or other assistance. Councillor Les Jones, cabinet member for housing, said:

“As a council we are very sympathetic to the plight of genuine homeless people. Working with the police, we do all we can to help rough sleepers get off the streets and into accommodation as quickly as possible.

“However, unfortunately there are a growing number of people who have been offered help by the police and the council but have repeatedly refused to accept it.

“Giving money, however well-intentioned, is not the best way to help these people. Get in touch with us or the police and we can get out to speak to them, as we will be doing in Stourbridge on Friday, to offer help.”

Dudley Council offers a 24-hour, 365 days a year homelessness prevention service. Assistance ranges from working with households to avoid repossessions due to mortgage arrears to placing people immediately into emergency accommodation.

Arrangements can be made to offer a temporary place for people who are sleeping rough to stay at Saltbrook Place in Lye. It could be a temporary bed, or use of the en-suite room or facilities overnight as a place of warmth and safety. Saltbrook Place can also accommodate people who have dogs.

Access to those facilities can be arranged by calling 0300 555 2345.

If you see somebody sleeping rough but do not want to approach them, report the information, including the location, date and time, to the council. People can speak to the homelessness prevention and response team by calling Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345.

People can also use Streetlink, a national rough sleepers reporting facility. Any reports made by calling 0300 500 0914 for Dudley borough are passed on to the council.