Eastbourne and Lewes pilot concludes with full caseload housed
8 September 2026
Ellen Harper talks about her experiences working in a 12-month pilot supporting entrenched rough sleepers in Eastbourne and Lewes
A 12-month Thames Reach pilot supporting people with long histories of rough sleeping and complex needs in Eastbourne and Lewes has concluded with everyone on its caseload moving into accommodation.
The Target Priority Group (TPG) pilot provided intensive, personalised support to people who had often found it difficult to engage with services. Ellen Harper, Senior Practitioner, worked as the pilot’s sole dedicated member of staff, building relationships with people at their own pace and coordinating the wider support they needed.
By the end of the pilot, everyone Ellen supported had been housed. Those initially placed in temporary accommodation also have plans in place to help them move towards a longer-term home.
Building trust over time
Many of the people referred to the pilot had experienced homelessness for a prolonged period and had little trust in services. For Ellen, progress began with consistency: continuing to meet people, listening to them and making it clear that support remained available without pressuring them to accept it.
Two people supported by the pilot had been living together in a van. Neither initially wanted to engage with services.
Ellen said: “One of the guys who had been there a bit longer, I consistently met with him every single week for two months. We just went to McDonald’s and I sat with him. He did eventually agree to let me do a homelessness application with him.”
As trust developed, Ellen was also able to help him access benefits and medication. He was subsequently offered a council flat.
Seeing the progress his friend had made also helped the second person begin to engage. He has since moved into a privately rented home.
Ellen said: “Being able to get both of them out of the van, which was infested with rats and had no running water or toilets, was really good.”
Continuing to show up
Another person had been living in a tent for four years while experiencing severe mental ill health. He had no phone, money or identification and had not engaged with services for several years.
Ellen continued visiting him for nine months, despite his initial reluctance to speak to her.
“Eventually, he said, ‘I want accommodation now,’” she explained. “We managed to get him to work with the council, got him into emergency accommodation, got his benefits sorted, got him an ID and got him a bank card.”
He has now moved into a Housing First property, where he receives daily support.
“There are still a lot to work on with him, but he’s off the street and working with people for the first time in years,” Ellen said. “That’s been really good.”
Creating support that lasts
Finding accommodation was only one part of the pilot. A central element of Ellen’s role was building a team of appropriate services around each person so that they would continue to receive support after the pilot ended.
“A lot of these people didn’t have a support team,” Ellen explained. “It was about trying to get the right, relevant people in and get that engagement up.”
This included connecting people with mental health services, benefits support, councils, Housing First teams and local outreach services. During the final months of the pilot, Ellen worked to transfer each person’s support to the professionals and services best placed to continue it.
The pilot’s results demonstrate what can be achieved through persistent, person-centred support. By giving people the time and space to develop trust, while bringing services together around their individual needs, the project has helped everyone on its caseload take an important step away from rough sleeping.
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