#mirroronthestreet

Cross-party pledge to help homeless Tory targets ‘not ambitious enough’

was “sleeping with someone different every night so she wouldn’t have to go back to an abusive relationship or sleep on the streets”.

But he insisted that, despite the complexity of homelessness, the issue is solvable and that the public are ahead of the Government in demanding change. He added: “The two truisms from all the cases I see are that no circumstances have been anything other than tragic, but all of them have been avoidable. The public interest in solving homelessness isn’t matched by government action.”

Blaming the Tories’ welfare policy and cuts for the problem, he said: “If only as much effort went into tackling this problem as creating it.”

Tory MP Peter Aldous said an assessment must be made into any link between homelessness and the controversial roll-out of Universal Credit.

He also called for long-term funding for services and a “dramatic increase in the amount of affordable housing”.

There are now 1.3 million children in poverty in private rented homes, the National Housing Federation has revealed – up 69% from 2008.

Almost 250,000 of these children would be lifted out of poverty if they were living in social housing.

Homelessness Minister Heather Wheeler said: “Ensuring that everyone has a decent, affordable, secure home is a core priority for this government.”

She insisted the Government’s target is “actually an ambitious target but it’s essential that we achieve it”.