Living and feeling better can start with a simple step-connecting. Health Connections Mendip is provided by your Mendip GP practices to improve your health and wellbeing.
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough on the streets, there are some local organisations that can give advice.
ELIM Connect (based at Wells) 01749 677097 has an outreach team. They have a 6 bed provision for the whole of Mendip which provides up to 7 nights’ accommodation, as part of a stepping stone arrangement into other accommodation.
They also have a drop-in surgery for people who are sleeping rough, see days/times below:
M: Breakfast drop 9am to 11am at Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells
T: 11am to 1pm at Frome Foodbank, Frome Town Hall, Christchurch Street West, Frome
W: Community lunch 12 noon to 2pm At Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells
T: 1pm to 3pm At The Red Brick Building, Morland Road, Glastonbury
F: Soup kitchen 3pm to 5pm At Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells
Mendip District Council Access Points
Homeless Drop In Support – Shape Shepton, Shepton Mallet, 8.30-4.30pm
Or as a first port of call, you can go to one of the Access Points below:
GLASTONBURY: The Library, 1 Orchard Court, Archers Way, Glastonbury BA6 9JB. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Tuesday to Thursday, 10am – 1pm Friday. Closed Monday and Friday and each day between 1-2pm.
STREET: Crispin Community Centre, Leigh Road, Street BA16 0HA. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Monday, Wednesday & Thursday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
WELLS: Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells BA5 2RB. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Tuesday, 10am – 4:30pm Wednesday & Friday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
FROME: The Library, Justice Lane, Frome BA11 1BE. Open: 9:30am – 4pm Monday to Friday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
SHEPTON MALLET: Shepton Mallet: The Council Offices and Shape Mendip: Mon-Fri 8:30am – 5pm.
Homelessness support and advice for young people from YMCA Mendip.
Young people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness can access support by calling 01749 679553 or visiting the YMCA website.
Below Zero Degrees
An emergency shelter is opened in Mendip when the temperature reaches or is expected to fall below 0 degrees for three consecutive nights. Please contact the places above for details.
Food Banks and CAB – please see people above or find details on the Health Connections Mendip website http://healthconnectionsmendip.org
CHS provides a free and independent service that can help you find the right care home, live-in or domiciliary care package.
Experienced specialists will help to find suitable care for each individual family. The service they provide is completely free and impartial. Please contact their Somerset team as below.
The service is for people who will be self-funding, rather than those who are eligible for funding through their local council.
Offers a wide range of support services to rough sleepers, the homeless, socially isolated and those struggling with addictions.
Also offer skills training and one to one counselling as well as a secure mail address, and access to showers and minimal cost Laundry. Main Office: Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells BA5 2BE.
Rough Sleeper Information:
If you are rough sleeping in this area or you are worried that you will be, you can drop into Elim Connect Centre to access their Community Outreach Service where somebody will be there to help you
When and where you are able to get help if you are sleeping rough.
Monday 9am to 11am At Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells Breakfast drop in
Tuesday 11am to 1pm At at Fair Frome Foodbank, The Town hall, Christchurch Street West, Frome Drop in
Wednesday 12 noon to 2pm At Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells Community lunch drop in
Thursday 1pm to 3pm At The Red Brick Building, Morland Road, Glastonbury Drop in
Friday 12 – 2pm At Elim Connect Centre, Portway, Wells Soup kitchen drop in
Grants of upto £10,000 for home owners or £5,000 in rented accommodation for cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, solar PV installation, air source heat pump and new storage heaters.
Criteria; a home with an Energy Performance Certificate of D or below, household income of £30,000 or less, in receipt of benefits.
More information and application through website.
We aim to ensure that people in Frome who are at risk of cold homes get the support they need. For households on low incomes living in houses with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or under this could include financial support of up to £10,000 towards improving the energy efficiency of your home.
The free Energy Essentials course is designed to enable you to provide energy advice to people in Frome. If you work in a role where you are in contact with the public, give advice or support on other issues, or would like to become a Healthy Homes volunteer, this training is for you.
If you or someone you know feels unsafe within their home, you may benefit from a free initial Home Safety
Assessment from one of our Trusted Assessors.
Your assessor will be able to identify and recommend a range of equipment, low level repairs and adaptations, welfare benefits that may help you, advice on removing trip hazards and signpost you to
other services. During the assessment your trusted assessor can even measure and arrange the fitting for a minor adaptation such as rails, mop-sticks, indicator strips and lighting for visual impairment.
To self-refer for a Home Safety Assessment contact us and a member of our business support team will get back to you within 10 working days.
Homefinder Somerset is a choice based lettings scheme allowing people to apply for social housing in Somerset.
There is a very high demand for social housing in Mendip and comparatively very few homes become available. Therefore many people are on the list for a long time without being made an offer of a home. So this option should not be relied upon solely to solve your housing situation, particularly if you think you need rehousing quickly or are homeless now.
If you plan to join the register you will have to be assessed as being in housing need as well as having a local connection.
Follow the link below for more details on the scheme.
*Covid update: Most services remain the same, furniture is now online only.*
HomeFirst Plus provides a range of practical services and home adaptations for anyone needing support. The service covers the whole of the Somerset, as well as Bath and North East Somerset.
We match someone who needs a little help to stay living independently in their own home, with someone needing somewhere affordable to live.
In return for low cost accommodation, the Homesharer provides at least 10 hours of support a week to the Householder. This is not becoming a personal carer, but more about a little help around the house.
Examples of support: gardening, shopping, cooking, errands
See website for more details and to register.
We work with a variety of statutory and voluntary agencies to offer, complete and co-ordinated housing options advice service. Our aim is to ensure our customers have a full range of housing options.
Write to us: Housing Options Team, Mendip District Council, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5BT or visit in person.
Open: Monday to Friday 8:30am-5.00pm – please note we will be unable to see you if you arrive later than 4.30pm.
Further information about all council services is available on our website: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/housing
Council information points:
Glastonbury: The Library, 1 Orchard Court, Archers Way, Glastonbury BA6 9JB. Open: 10.00am-4.30pm Monday Tuesday & Thursday. Closed from 1.00pm-2.00pm for lunch. 10.00am-1.00pm Friday
Street: Crispin Community Centre, Leigh Road, Street BA16 0HA. Open: 10.00am-4.30pm Closed between 1.00pm-2.00pm for lunch. Monday, Wednesday & Thursday.
Wells: Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells BA5 2RB. Open: Tuesday, Wed and Friday 10.00am-4.30pm. Closed for lunch between 1.00-2.00pm.
Frome: The Library, Justice Lane, Frome BA11 1BE. Open: 9:30am-4:30pm Closed between 1.00pm-2.00pm for lunch. Monday to Friday.
Shepton Mallet: Housing Options office offer drop in sessions Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm.
YMCA Mendip with its main base in Wells, covers the whole of the Mendip area – Frome, Shepton Mallet, Street, Glastonbury, Wells and surrounding villages. Our project work provides a range of services for young people, with an emphasis on housing and homelessness, helping them to grow in confidence, develop as individuals and realise their full potential.
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A service for 16-25 year olds provided in partnership with the YMCA and housing consortium. For the Mendip area please see phone number and email address below.
Private Sector Housing Team, Mendip District Council
Our role is to ensure that all properties are safe to live in, whether they are owner occupied or rented privately or through a housing association. We offer grants and loans to adapt homes for disabled people, complete essential repairs and bring empty homes back into use. We respond to housing condition complaints, carryout inspections and work with landlords and property owners to ensure homes are improved and repairs completed. We have a variety of enforcement powers available to ensure homes are free from serious hazards and we commonly use these to deal with issues such as cold, damp and mould, risk of falls and fire safety. We also licence houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and mobile home sites and offer general advice on housing standards.
If you are a property owner in need of assistance or a tenant having a problem getting your landlord to carry out repairs then contact us as we may be able to help.
Council information points:
Glastonbury: The Library, 1 Orchard Court, Archers Way, Glastonbury BA6 9JB. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Monday Tuesday & Thursday, 10am – 1pm Friday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
Street: Crispin Community Centre, Leigh Road, Street BA16 0HA. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Monday, Wednesday & Thursday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
Wells: Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells BA5 2RB. Open: 10am – 4.30pm Tuesday, 10am – 4:30pm Wednesday & Friday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
Frome: The Library, Justice Lane, Frome BA11 1BE. Open: 9:30am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday. Closed each day beween 1-2pm.
Shepton Mallet: The Council Offices and Shape Mendip: Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm.
CONTACT DETAILS
Private Sector Housing, Mendip District Council, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BT.
To report someone sleeping rough, call the number below, calls are confidential. We aim to visit people referred to the service within 2 working days. Please provide as much detail as possible about the individual to help us make contact with them.
For private sector homes – safer home grants and loans are available to provide help with the cost of work to make homes safer, healthier and warmer. Available for vulnerable households on lower income who otherwise may not be able to afford to complete essential improvements to their home.
More information can be found on this FACTSHEET
Support and housing service for adults in Somerset who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and also have a mix of mental health needs, drug and alcohol problems, behavioural issues, debt or have been involved in the criminal justice system. Our clients have complex needs and often find it extremely hard to sustain positive change in their lives. We believe we have a responsibility to make sure our service, and the system as a whole, does all it can to reverse this experience. Our service is primarily about helping people to live fulfilling lives in their own communities, retain their tenancy and reduce repeated homelessness.
Please visit the website below for more information & to make contact.
The Cafe is open Tuesday to Friday from 11.00am-1.30pm
Please call Tony on 07929 664211 on Thursdays or Fridays between 11.00am-1.30pm
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