More than 400 rough sleeping referrals in East Lindsey last year
More than 400 referrals for people sleeping rough in East Lindsey were made in the last year, according to the council.
East Lindsey District Council said it received 468 referrals for 208 people between April 2024 and March 2025.
Members of the overview committee at the district council were told at a meeting on Tuesday (October 14) that the number of referrals has risen from 440 rough sleeping referrals for 362 people between April 2023 and March 2024.
Carol Rippin, team leader for the rough sleeping intervention team at the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, said: “We have an increasing number of referrals and we also have challenges including the mobility of rough sleepers, vague information safety risks and non engagement.”
She said it was the council’s responsibility to locate people, saying they go out twice a week.
Ms Rippin said that young people in particular have been affected by the rising costs of housing.
She said: “The cost of living and universal credit limitations make housing unaffordable especially for under 25 year-olds.
“Selective landlords and affordability benefits are a challenge because landlords are being more selective about who they want.
“They always want people who are working and they don’t really like people who are on benefits, especially if they’ve got complex needs.
“These people are lost to the system, lost to themselves and lost to their friends and family. We need to find them and discover and recover their abilities and life skills.”
Ms Rippin said that the district council’s rough sleeping team is working with its partners to reduce rough sleeping across East Lindsey.
She added: “We’re looking at preventing rough sleeping wherever possible and wherever it does occur it is rare, brief and non-recurrent.
“We focus on addiction, mental health and re-offending. We have to trust-build their confidence and their ability to engage with us.
“We have strong partnerships with councils in other areas, health services and community groups and organisations.”
Ms Rippin added some people sleeping rough say they don’t want to be helped meaning it’s impossible to support everyone.
The district council said that 113 people in East Lindsey were successfully supported to find accommodation between March 2024 and April 2025 with the majority of these people in privately rented accommodation, social housing or supported housing.