Supporting Hull’s homeless people

23 January, 2026

Helping the most vulnerable people in our society has always been part of what City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP) does and people who are homeless or sleeping rough need our support, especially in winter.

Those without a permanent home often struggle to access health care. Our GP practice in the Quays in Hull city centre specialises in treating people at the margins of society and every year the Inclusion team, based at the Quays, gets funding from CHCP to buy warm clothing for those who need it.

Our Tissue Viability team, who treat ulcers and other wounds that take a long time to heal, run a drop-in clinic for those who struggle to get to appointments, avoiding 15 hospital admissions in its first year and helping many patients to heal more quickly. Over Christmas and New Year, every patient who attended the clinic got a £5 Greggs voucher.

CHCP’s Foundation charity have bought 111 ‘bivvy bags’ for rough sleepers. These waterproof and breathable bags (like miniature tents) keep people and their belongings warm and dry; they will be distributed to those who need them where CHCP provides services in Hull, the East Riding and Merseyside.

The bivvy bags were supplied by outdoor experts Alpkit, who said, “This an amazing thing to do. From speaking with a number of organisations that we’ve helped via our Continuum we certainly understand the difficulties faced with the longevity of sleeping bags when rough sleeping, so to be able to combine with a bivvy bag will hopefully prolong the use and help provide better shelter for people. 

“It’s humbling to know that one of our products is being used for such a purpose and hope that they will make a huge difference.”

Claire Garrett, Inclusion Health manager at CHCP, says the organisation always steps up to help people in need. “Our team was supporting a mother and child who had fled violence and cuckooing. They had been rehoused with no possessions apart from the clothes they were wearing. We sent out an email asking for help and the response was so overwhelming it took two van loads to transport all the items we’d been given.”