ALABARÉ Sets Out Efforts to Support Government's 'Everyone In' Initiative to Tackle Rough Sleeping

Salisbury-based homelessness charity ALABARÉ is outlining its efforts to support the Government's national ‘Everyone In’ initiative to tackle rough sleeping.

The charity, with 35 years of experience supporting people at risk of homelessness in the county, across the South West, and Wales, is also calling for increased, sustainable funding streams to be announced in next week’s Budget (Wednesday, 28 October).

During the last financial year (2025/26), ALABARÉ supported more than 2,500 people to break the cycle of homelessness, including single homeless adults, veterans, young people such as care leavers and parents with their newborns, adults with learning disabilities and those facing mental health challenges.

What does ALABARÉ currently do for rough sleepers in Wiltshire?

The charity is well placed to share best practice on what ‘Everyone In’ could look like in the county, and as a model for other regions.

ALABARÉ offers two daytime drop-in services for people experiencing homelessness: Somewhere Safe to Go in Barnard Street, Salisbury, and the Comfort Zone on Wood Lane in Chippenham.

Both provide hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, access to and signposting to additional services, and a space to stay warm, dry, and off the streets.

ALABARÉ works closely with Wiltshire Council’s rough sleeper team to provide emergency bedspaces at both locations as an immediate route for homeless adults into a safe and secure place to stay while longer-term options are assessed.

Through a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, supported living accommodation can be offered across Wiltshire, including Salisbury, Chippenham, Devizes, or Trowbridge, based on an individual’s needs, background, and required level of support.

More than half of those experiencing homelessness who come to ALABARÉ report mental health concerns as either a cause or consequence. So the charity also encourages clients to connect with mental health services, including Access Community Mental Health (ACMH) and Riverside Sanctuary.

ACMH offers free, confidential one-to-one support for people aged 16+ living in Wiltshire or registered with a GP in the county, while Riverside provides immediate, 365-day drop-in support that doesn't require an appointment, helping people develop coping mechanisms and recovery plans to maintain independence.

What needs to happen next?

ALABARÉ is keen to work with local authorities, such as Wiltshire Council, and other charity and voluntary partners to help embed the ‘Everyone In’ initiative and create positive outcomes for rough sleepers, especially as we enter the winter season, when demand traditionally rises.

The charity is looking collectively at existing provision to identify where additional capacity or innovative approaches are needed, while avoiding duplication.

A key focus for ALABARÉ is bringing their homelessness, supported living, and mental health provision closer together, to support the whole person and strengthen referral pathways.

This must include early intervention and preventative measures so people brought in from the streets this winter receive longer-term support, which would require systemic change and increased funding.

Just ahead of the Budget, ALABARÉ is calling for the Chancellor, John Healey MP, to announce clear monetary backing for government efforts to address homelessness and ensure strong support pathways.

Greater clarity on plans to increase the social housing stock would also be welcomed, as it would ultimately provide a permanent solution for people wishing to move on from transitional accommodation.

Naomi Webb, Director of Operations at ALABARÉ, said, “The ‘Everyone In’ initiative is something we’re wholeheartedly behind, and we already provide many of the building blocks needed for a positive pathway for rough sleepers. What we would like to see is a genuinely joined-up approach from local authorities and organisations like ALABARÉ to improve connectivity between services, reduce duplication and bridge the gaps where needed.

“The Budget provides an opportunity for the Government to put a robust level of funding at the heart of their plans to tackle rough sleeping and deliver on their pledge to create the biggest social housebuilding programme since the post-war period. To get people off the streets before Christmas is admirable, but without ongoing funding and collaboration, we risk failing people in the longer term if support networks aren’t boosted for the next part of a client’s journey and their eventual independence.”