THE plight of Bury's rough sleepers who bed down in the cold and damp will be tackled thanks to a new £41,000 Government initiative.

For the borough has won a cash grant which could see homeless people, forced to sleep rough, being given a welcome roof over their heads.

However, until the problem is eradicated, the team appointed to work with such people are appealing to the public for help.

They are anxious to take delivery of donations including blankets, good quality clothing and footwear and a washing machine.

A Rough Sleepers' Initiative has been established in Bury after the Government awarded a grant of £41,498 to allow vital assistance to be given to the homeless.

The project, which has just been launched, will carry through until March 1999 and perhaps beyond if more funding can be found.

The three-strong team involved in the project is headed by Ms Beatty Osborne, resettlement worker, and her two outreach workers are Mr Alec Dean and Mr Lee Rogers.

Beatty explained: "The job of my two outreach workers will be to visit the rough sleepers and to build up a relationship with them."

All three have extensive experience of homeless issues and helping those who sleep rough.

"We will try to find out what they want and if someone wants to be resettled, we can provide them with information and assistance in achieving that."

She added: 'We have compiled a list of hostels and we've also got contacts with bed and breakfast establishments as well as with the local authority.

"We will look at all the options with the rough sleepers and help them make a decision. They will be entitled to Housing Benefit, although there is no lump sum involved."

Late last year, a survey was undertaken throughout the borough to pinpoint just how widespread the problem of rough sleepers was.

Although the figure for one night amounted to 12, it is believed statistics are far greater. But figures do tend to fluctuate, given the time of year and other factors.

Homeless people forced to bed down in cold and sometimes wet conditions have a number of popular places throughout the borough. But it is mainly in the Bury, Radcliffe and Ramsobttom areas where rough sleepers tend to spend the night huddled in a sleeping bag.

"A lot of different people sleep rough for different reasons," stressed Beatty.

She is determined the new initiative will make significant inroads into tackling a problem most of us will never face.

"We're bridge builders," she says. "Hopefully, we'll be able to offer something to make people's lives more bearable. Initially, it will be a matter of seeking out these people and building up a relationship with them."

However, Beatty has launched an appeal which she hopes will be supported by the people of the borough.

"We'd like donations of nice warm blankets and reasonable standards of clothing for males and females.

"We'd also really like a washing machine plus other items like a packet of hair combs, together with boots and shoes in good condition," she went on.

She and her two outreach workers are based at the Bury Unemployed Workers' Centre in Tithebarn Street, just off The Rock, Bury.

Anyone who can provide such much-needed items can drop them in at the centre..

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