A TOTAL of 87 rough sleepers in Bournemouth and Poole have been helped to find accommodation over a three month period, council figures show.

Bournemouth council, which launched a controversial campaign earlier this year urging people not to give cash to beggars, said its Rough Sleeper Team helped 87 people off the streets between April and June.

It said this success was proof that its approach, which has seen it team up with the Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI) to try and engage with rough sleepers, was working.

But its public fundraising campaign has got off to a slower start. The “Your Kindness Could Kill” appeal, which is hoping to raise £6,000 to improve facilities for rough sleepers and homeless people, received donations of just £89 in its first two months.

Lorraine Mealings, head of strategic housing, said: “We are committed to helping people access accommodation and support services that they need in order to move away from a life on the streets.

“Our Rough Sleeper Team has helped 87 rough sleepers from Bournemouth and Poole into placements of accommodation over the three month period between April to June.

“This is positive news and shows that the work we are doing with organisations such as CRI, who run the town’s Rough Sleeper Team, is making a difference to the lives of people living on the streets.”

The last annual rough sleeper count for Bournemouth was carried out last November, when 16 people were living on the streets.

Donations to the “Your Kindness Could Kill” campaign can be made online at Just Giving or via text.