HOMELESS people in Southampton will soon receive a visit from dentists who can provide pain-relieving treatments.

It comes after a city-wide partnership started to end the need for rough sleeping, which led to churches opening their buildings to those sleeping rough in winter.

The Street Support partnership has pledged that homeless people "deserve better" and that "noone deserves to live a life on the streets".

To achieve this, the Street Support partnership are inviting others to join with them in tackling the problem.

DentAid, which holds a centre in Totton, is a charity which works to improve oral health in the UK.

Speaking from Above Bar Church, Paul Webber said: "Above Bar Church runs a weekly breakfast for up to 100 people who are homeless and vulnerable in our building on Above Bar Street. This month, we have invited DentAid to bring their mobile dental unit to the church."

The churches’ winter shelter will form part of a wider provision of beds to reduce rough sleeping in the city.

Last year, over 30 organisations signed a Southampton Rough Sleeping and Begging Charter which said their vision is for Southampton to be a city where no one needs to sleep rough or beg.

Paul Woodman from Southampton Street Support said: "We are working hard to help churches open across the city on rotation – a different church each night over the worst of the winter. It’s not as easy as it sounds – our insurers have to be satisfied that people sleeping overnight are safe and that our buildings are ready to use for the many activities that are run during the day for pre-schools and playgroups.

Naomi Roche from DentAid said: "We know that many men and women, who are homeless, suffer from dental pain but they often find it difficult to visit a dentist. Dental nurses will be available to discuss any dental problems and anxieties the patients may have and then they can be seen by the volunteer dental team on our mobile dental unit when it visits Above Bar Church on January 23. The dental team can provide free, pain relieving treatments and oral health advice so that men and women in Southampton don't have to suffer the misery of toothache."