PM: Number forced to sleep rough on our streets is still way too high
BORIS Johnson called Britain’s homelessness crisis unacceptable and “way too high” yesterday.
The Prime Minister spoke out despite official figures showing those sleeping on England’s streets fell for a second year.
During a visit to homelessness charity The Connection in London, he said: “The number of people sleeping rough in our country is way too high.
“It is true that they have been coming down in the last year or so, but we want to drive that forward now.We want to make a big, big dent in those numbers.
“These are amazing people and they can turn their lives
around if they are given the help and support.”
Government figures showed that on one autumn night last year, there were 4,266 people sleeping rough.
That is nine per cent down on the previous year and 10 per cent less than the peak of 2017. But it is still 141 per cent – 2,498 – higher than when figures were first compiled in 2010.
The South-west was the only region which saw a notable rough sleeper increase – 490.
The biggest fall was in the West
Midlands, with 319 – down 24 per cent on 2018.
Charity St Mungo’s called on the Government to invest an extra £1billion a year to help rough sleepers.
Impact
Shadow housing secretary John Healey said: “Ministers won’t fix the crisis until they deal with the root causes of the problem...facing up to the impact of deep cuts to housing, social security and homelessness services since 2010.”
Mr Johnson has announced £236million extra funding to provide “move on” accommodation for up to 6,000 rough sleepers and has appointed former homelessness tsar Dame Louise Casey to carry out a review.
But Shelter’s Polly Neate said: “The Prime Minister rightly wants to end rough sleeping before the end of the Parliament, but unless his Government tackles the drought of genuinely affordable homes, homelessness isn’t going anywhere.
“Rough sleeping is only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of thousands more stuck in temporary accommodation.
“You can’t put a plaster on a gaping wound.”