Posts with tag: homelessness

Over 3,000 people rough sleeping in London during third national lockdown

Published On: May 10, 2021 at 9:58 am

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Crisis comments on 16% rise in rough sleeping across London

New figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) reveal that from January to March 2021, 3,002 people slept rough across London.

This was down 9% on the previous quarter. 1,567 people also slept rough for the first time during this period.

The figures from this data also show: 

  • 33% of people rough sleeping had two or more support needs 
  • 1,587 people were placed in emergency accommodation, this is up 72% from the last quarter. This reflects the work of local authorities and the Greater London Authority to continue to accommodate people sleeping rough during the pandemic.  

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, comments: “It’s deeply concerning that we entered the new year and a third national lockdown with over 3,000 people sleeping on our streets and 316 people forced to live this way day-after-day. Rough sleeping at any time is unacceptable, but we must remember this was when coronavirus cases were rapidly accelerating, and temperatures were freezing meaning this situation was all the more dangerous and deadly.    

“While fewer people were sleeping rough during this time due to councils going to great lengths to get everyone in, people did continue to fall through the cracks, largely because of their immigration status. The same issue persists today so we must stress that while the threat of the virus remains among us, we urge councils to continue to provide everyone with a safe place to stay in line with the recent High Court judgement. 

“But ultimately a hotel room is not a safe and secure home. We urgently need the Westminster government to set out a clear plan to end rough sleeping and homelessness by providing genuinely affordable housing. This must also include a new approach to how we treat people with interlocking problems such as mental health, trauma and drug and alcohol dependencies, which can only be achieved by making Housing First available to everyone who needs it. As we move out of the pandemic, a truly impactful and lasting recovery must have ending homelessness at its heart.” 

Major push to help the homeless during coronavirus lockdown

Published On: April 7, 2020 at 10:48 am

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Major Push to Help the Homeless During Coronavirus Lockdown

Homeless charities and local authorities must work together to help rough sleepers get access to accommodation during this time of lockdown.

Major Homeless Charities including Crisis, Homeless Link and The Passage have written to the government asking them to ‘remove the barriers’ that prevent homeless people from getting access to the shelter that they need during a time of government-mandated self-isolation. 

This is following on from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Minister for Local Government and Housing writing to all local authorities with detailed plans on how to protect rough sleepers at this time. 

The plans included closing night shelters and communal hostels, as they are a hotbed for the spread of Coronavirus and flout the rules of self-isolation. However, many of the charities state that they have received numerous reports of councils denying help to many homeless people on the grounds that they don’t have a local connection to the area or simply that the council doesn’t have the funds to house them elsewhere. 

The Government has committed £1.6 billion in funding to help local authorities with the task of housing the homeless during the coronavirus emergency. 

But as this remains a public health emergency, the charities warn that failure soon to act could risk putting more lives in danger.

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “We commend the government’s swift action to protect people most at risk by ensuring they have somewhere safe to stay during the pandemic. But the stark fact remains that there are people whose lives are still in danger, sleeping on our streets or trapped in crowded hostels and night shelters.

“To fulfil the ambition of getting ‘everyone in’ we must see the final barriers stopping people from getting the help they need removed. This means ensuring councils have the money they need to support people into hotel accommodation and a clear message that anyone, no matter who they are or their circumstance, will get the help they need to shelter from the pandemic.

“We must also ensure that once people have been accommodated they get access to the health care they need if they are affected by the virus, and in the long term are supported into safe, permanent housing once this crisis is over.”

Hertsmere Borough Council is an example of one local authority taking an active approach to the problem. They have been contacting rough sleepers, but they are appealing for the public’s help, asking them to use the StreetLink app to report any rough sleepers that they come across.

StreetLink is a website, mobile phone app and telephone service which enables members of the public to connect adults sleeping on the streets with local services.

Councillor Jean Heywood, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “Our main priority at this time of unprecedented national crisis is to keep our residents safe, particularly those in vulnerable groups, such as rough sleepers.

“While we have been able to provide a number of individuals with accommodation, there may be others who we have not as yet been able to contact and who would qualify for support.

“We would ask members of the public who are worried about anyone sleeping rough to report it through StreetLink.

“In the meantime, we are working with our partners, including the police, to visit rough sleepers to provide them with guidance of where to go for support.”

Find out more by going to https://www.streetlink.org.uk/StreetLink_HomePage, by downloading the StreetLink app or by calling 0300 500 0914. Anyone with concerns about a child’s welfare, please call 999.

Government aims to house all rough sleepers by the weekend

Published On: March 27, 2020 at 9:35 am

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Crisis comments on 16% rise in rough sleeping across London

In an unprecedented move, the Government has written to local authorities in England asking them to house all people sleeping rough, and those in hostels and night shelters, by the weekend.

In a letter sent to homelessness managers and rough sleeping coordinators in every local authority yesterday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said:

“As you know, this is a public health emergency. We are all redoubling our efforts to do what we possibly can at this stage to ensure that everybody is inside and safe by this weekend, and we stand with you in this.

“These are unusual times so I’m asking for an unusual effort. Many areas of the country have already been able to ‘safe harbour’ their people which is incredible. What we need to do now though is work out how we can get ‘everyone in’.”

Responding to this news, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “The Government’s insistence that everyone sleeping rough should be housed by the weekend is a landmark moment – and the right thing to do.

“Questions remain about how local councils will be supported to do this, and whether additional funding or assistance securing hotel rooms, will be made available. We also need to see a package of support so that, when the outbreak subsides, the outcome is not that people return to the streets.

“The Government has committed to ending rough sleeping by 2025 – this proves it can be done in 2020 if we make it the priority it deserves to be.”

Crisis Launches Drive to Help People Experiencing Homelessness During Coronavirus Pandemic

Published On: March 24, 2020 at 11:02 am

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Crisis Launches Drive to Help People Experiencing Homelessness During Coronavirus Pandemic

On Saturday 21st March, national homelessness charity, Crisis launched In This Together, a campaign to raise funds for people who are homeless and the local charities that support them who are struggling more than ever in the Coronavirus outbreak.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that rough sleepers are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. They are in fact three times more likely to experience a chronic health condition as a direct result of being homeless. They are also not in a position to follow government guidelines on regularly washing hands and self-isolating. 

Crisis has quickly reacted to the fast-changing situation that the country now finds itself in with their In This Together campaign. They are providing phones loaded with credit to homeless people so that they can continue to receive support  and advice and their staff have been delivering care packages filled with food, hand sanitiser and hard copies of the latest government advice to people sleeping on the streets and in temporary accommodation. 

They have also set up a series of emergency grants to help fellow local homeless charities in their continuing efforts to deliver night shelters and other vital services.

In addition they are also lobbying the government to take emergency measures to protect homeless people. On the 17th March, Crisis and other homeless charities, St Mungo’s, Centrepoint, Homeless Link and Shelter Cymru wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister Mark Drakeford calling for a detailed plan on how to ensure people experiencing homelessness can access self-contained accommodation and safely self-isolate.  

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “The generosity and resolve of the British public at this time is inspiring. So many people have been in touch to say that they are especially worried about the impact of coronavirus on people who are homeless – and are asking what they can do to help. 

“In recent days we’ve had to postpone a number of fundraising events and temporarily close our shops. Now more than ever we value donations to keep our frontline services running, and to support smaller, local homelessness charities with their emergency response in these unprecedented circumstances. We know that with the public’s support we can protect people facing homelessness from the worst effects of this outbreak.” 

PM announces extra measures to help get people off the streets

Published On: February 28, 2020 at 9:37 am

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help get people off the streets

The Government’s annual rough sleeping statistics for England have been published, revealing an estimated 4266 people to be sleeping rough on any given night in Autumn 2019. This is a 9% decrease from last year.

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, has commented: “It’s great news to see any reduction in the numbers of people rough sleeping – fewer people sleeping on our streets means fewer people exposed to exploitation, extreme weather and the threat of violence. But unless we see people being offered homes, not hostels, we know from experience that people will return to the streets.

“To truly end rough sleeping, the Government must recognise the intolerable pressure many in society are under with low incomes, high rents and a lack of affordable housing pushing people into homelessness. The reality is that this problem will persist until we build the social homes we desperately need and restore housing benefit to a level where it covers the cost of rents.”

The Prime Minister has now announced an extra £236 to help get people off the streets. He has also appointed an independent adviser to lead an urgent review into the causes of rough sleeping. 

Commenting on this news, Jon Sparkes said: “As the most brutal and devastating form of homelessness, it’s right that the Prime Minister is focusing on ending rough sleeping and dedicating funding to this. But ultimately, we need this money to translate into real homes rather than paying to keep people homeless in hostels and night shelters.

“We look forward to working with Dame Louise Casey on the issues that are forcing people to sleep on our streets, particularly given her experience and personal commitment to tackling homelessness. Any review must also look at the wider picture of homelessness and focus on stopping people rough sleeping in the first place through providing truly affordable homes and ensuring housing benefit covers the cost of rent.” 

Rough sleeping reaches second-highest on record – Crisis response

Published On: February 3, 2020 at 9:17 am

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New statistics released on deaths of people experiencing homelessness in 2021

Last week new figures were released from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), revealing that 3,637 people slept rough across London from October to December 2019. This is an 11% increase from the same period last year.

Charity Crisis has stated that it is concerning that the figures show 1,729 people were new rough sleepers, which is also a rise of 11%.

These figures are the most comprehensive data available about the number of people rough sleeping in the capital.

Responding to the figures Jon Sparkes, Crisis Chief Executive, said: “Everyone should have the right to a home, so it’s simply disgraceful that yet again we are faced with the reality that more and more people are being forced to sleep rough on the capital’s streets. 

“No one should have to suffer appalling weather conditions or be exposed to violence and abuse because they cannot afford to keep a roof over their head. It would be dehumanising for any of us to live like this.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way, as a society we have the power to change this. By putting the right support in place – such as building the social homes we desperately need and making sure housing benefit covers the true cost of rent – we can stop people from losing their homes in the first place. We can’t avoid the evidence anymore, the time for action is now.”