MANY people believe that homelessness is a lifestyle choice and others don’t even notice that it’s a problem in Dorset, a seemingly affluent part of the country.

Last year the Echo teamed up with the homeless charity, Soul Food, to raise awareness about the plight of the rough sleeper.

One year on, the charity says homelessness and the number of rough sleepers remains a growing problem in the borough.

The Echo recently visited the Weymouth charity and spoke to outreach worker, Angie Barnes.

Volunteers are supporting and feeding more than 20 people at their sessions.

Some of the team are ex-rough sleepers who have been helped into accommodation and beaten their addictions.

Angie was homeless for about a year and is a recovering alcoholic.

Her community work is a vital unpaid service and she’s often the first point of contact for the vulnerable.

Angie, who has been the outreach worker since 2006, said: "We offer showers, clothes, access to a mental health worker, to medical care, to the outreach worker as well as hot food and drinks.

"All our services are donated and all our staff are volunteers.

"Usually on a Thursday and Friday we have one hectic day and the other slightly less so but for the last couple of weeks it has been completely full on both days.

"We are the only agency in the town that deals primarily with the homeless and rough sleepers.

"Our main aim is helping the guys and girls who come to us to get their lives straight.

"We also try as much as we can to help organise accommodation, which is getting increasingly difficult.

"We also act as a signal post and pass on contacts for other agencies.

"Soul Food is a guaranteed lifesaver however, there are a lot of people we are not managing to save.

"A lot of the people we help have drug and alcohol issues and we cannot get them away and off their addiction while they are still living on the streets.

"We have lost eight people since November which is high for this year."

Weymouth and Portland Borough and West Dorset District Council recently commissioned a service that aims to reduce rough sleeping and the problems associated with it. The Dorset Street Homeless Outreach Team (SHOT) is delivered by EDP, who are a specialist drug and alcohol service.

Martin Kerwin has experienced first hand the extent of homelessness in Weymouth.

He came to Weymouth in 2002 after receiving help for his addictions, having been living on the streets and in abandoned houses for over a year.

He said: "I survived with no water, heating or power and was getting by eating from bins or relying on kind people from a bakery.

"I was homeless for 18 months; it's a lifetime when you have lost everything.

"I volunteered at Bournemouth Food Bank for a year helping people in need every day.

"I was then offered a job at a hostel. There were 40 rooms for people to say and I got to know the people who came very well.

"I provided food for them every night and day and then they were suddenly gone.

"Three people I knew died on the streets.

"It was sad for me to watch the people I knew just get worse, so I moved to Weymouth with the idea of setting up somewhere, maybe only a hall and drop in centre, that I could run with other volunteer workers and help improve the problem in the area.

"My story is a long one but it's not about me; it's about the homeless people and rough sleepers that are still out there with little or no help.

"We need compassion. Something needs to be done."

Anyone who is in housing need or homeless can contact the local Housing Advice Services on 01305 838400

Clive Milone, head of housing for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said: "The council recognises homelessness as a significant issue facing many people today and is committed to a range of actions to address and prevent homelessness.

"Last year, the council approved a five-year Homelessness and Homelessness Prevention Strategy, which focuses on early intervention, targeted housing advice and improving services.

"The council is also committed to a Dorset Countywide Homelessness Strategy, which aims to prevent homelessness and minimise the use of temporary accommodation by maximising housing advice and widening access to the private rented sector.

"In relation to rough sleepers, Weymouth and Portland Borough and West Dorset District Council have commissioned a service that aims to reduce rough sleeping and the problems associated with it. The Dorset Street Homeless Outreach Team (SHOT) is delivered by EDP, who are a specialist drug and alcohol service.

"We would advise anyone who is in housing need or homeless to contact the local Housing Advice Services on 01305 838400 or visit dorsetforyou.com for more information."