Calls have been made for greater support for homelessness services after three rough sleepers were found during a walkaround in Bishop Auckland.
Representatives from homeless charity Cornerstone Supported Housing joined Durham County Council officers, police and Bishop Auckland MP Sam Rushworth for a street sweep focused on issues in the town on Monday (September 21).
During the visit, three people sleeping rough were found in an abandoned building.
Georgina Mawson, housing communities lead at Cornerstone Supported Housing, said the individuals had not previously been verified by the council.
"While we've been out today we've been able to identify three individuals that hadn't yet been verified by the council and luckily enough we had a member from the rough sleeper team from the council with us today so that meant they were able to be verified," she said.
"We were then able to pull them from the situation, put them straight into our homes where they'll be able to get showers, food and support and hopefully from this we're going to be able to house one immediately."
One of the people found during the operation was later housed in supported accommodation that day.
Nicky Morson (left) and Georgina Mawson (right) of Cornerstone with therapy dog Bob. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
Cornerstone, which operates homeless hubs in Bishop Auckland and Hartlepool, said rough sleeping remains a growing issue and argued more regular outreach work could help identify vulnerable people more quickly.
Ms Mawson said: "If someone's rough sleeping for two days that's a long time for someone rough sleeping, never mind if this happens once a month and we can only do it once a month.
"So it is an issue and it's a growing issue at the minute."
The charity says it is funded to carry out rough sleeper verification work in Hartlepool but not in County Durham, despite believing its approach could help reduce homelessness in the area.
Ms Mawson said: "Unfortunately, we aren't funded to do this job. We can't verify people, we're not allowed to do it.
"In Hartlepool we're funded to do it, that's our role and it works perfectly. We do as we did today, we find them, we verify them, we take them off the street.
"If it could work like that it would be a brilliant resolve to an issue that we like to think we've got the answer to, to be fair, because it works. We've proven it works and we just want to show that we can do that in Bishop Auckland and I think today's shown that we can do it."
Asked what message she would send to decision-makers responsible for funding, Ms Mawson said: "Come and have a chat with us, come and see, we'll show you exactly what we do, we'll show you the figures.
"The proof's in the pudding isn't it?"
Responding to the charity's comments, Matthew Edwards, housing access and independent living manager at Durham County Council, said the authority remained committed to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.
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He said: "We are committed to preventing homelessness and rough sleeping in County Durham, as part of our wider work to ensure all residents have access to safe, high-quality housing.
"Our in-house homelessness prevention service works with a range of voluntary and community sector partners across the county, including Cornerstone.
"We welcome opportunities to strengthen our relationships with the sector and look forward to developing our partnership with Cornerstone and others in the future."