A WOMAN spotted sleeping rough in the centre of St Austell was found emergency accommodation after a housing charity stepped in.

Harbour Housing, a Cornwall-based charity providing supported accommodation and outreach services to individuals who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness, came to the aid of the woman who was sleeping outside the Chi Austel council premises in White River Place.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “Harbour Housing’s hotspots team stepped in on Sunday after a Good Samaritan raised concerns about a woman sleeping outside the council offices.

“The Good Samaritan, walking home from a church service, found the woman had been too afraid to sleep the previous night and had nowhere to go. After trying to seek help locally, they contacted Harbour Housing following recent publicity about the hotspots initiative.

“The alert enabled staff to locate her quickly. The on-call team, already on weekend patrols, attended and found her emergency placement had fallen through following a recent hospital discharge.

“Harbour staff visited twice that day, providing food, drinks and welfare checks, and crucially taking time to build trust. On the second visit, she agreed to come inside and was supported into emergency accommodation overnight, ensuring her immediate safety.

“This allowed Harbour Housing and the Cornwall Council Rough Sleeper Team to carry out a full assessment the next day and plan longer-term support.

“This is what our hotspots outreach work is about – responding quickly when it matters most.

“Our services are tailored to meet a wide range of needs, from helping people discharged from hospital with nowhere to go, to supporting women escaping domestic abuse and sexual violence.

“We work closely with each person to deliver support that empowers them to move towards independent living and long-term recovery. In addition, we connect our beneficiaries with specialist services to ensure their support plans are comprehensive and personalised.”