Labour in call to PM to end ‘national shame’ of rough sleepers
Labour has pledged to end the “national shame” of rough sleeping within its next term in government – and challenged Theresa May to back the plan.
Shadow cabinet minister John Healey, who is responsible for housing, said there can be “no excuses” for homeless people being forced to sleep on the streets.
Labour in government would therefore double the number of homes ring-fenced for rough sleepers by renewing and extending a housing scheme set up by Conservative former housing minister Lord (George) Young of Cookham in 1991.
The Clearing House scheme run by St Mungo’s charity on behalf of the Greater London Authority provides 3,750 flats in more than 40 housing associations in the capital for rough sleepers, the party said.
Labour would extend it to cities like Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester – and create 4,000 permanent new reserved flats or houses for rough sleepers.
They would be let at “genuinely affordable” rents to British nationals or others eligible for social housing.
The Prime Minister should back the scheme by striking a deal with housing associations to make the homes available now, and provide funding for replacements.
Rough sleeping has nearly doubled since the Tories took power in 2010, with 3,569 people estimated to be out on the streets in England on any given night in 2015, compared to 1,768 in 2010.
Ahead of an Opposition Day debate on homelessness, Mr Healey said: “Homelessness is not inevitable in a country as decent and well off as ours.
“This problem can be solved, but it demands a new national will to do so. The rapidly rising number of people sleeping in doorways and on park benches shames us all. There can be no excuses – it must end. Full stop.
“This growing homelessness should shame the Government most of all. The spiralling rise in street homelessness results directly from decisions made by ministers since 2010 on housing, and on funding for charities and councils.
“Under the last Labour government, years of sustained action brought rough sleeping right down, but it has doubled since 2010.
“A Labour government would put a stop to this national shame and provide homeless people with a place to call home and rebuild their lives.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government said the number of people recognised as homeless by their local authority was less than half the 2003 peak but acknowledged that “one person without a home is one too many”.
A spokesman went on: “That’s why we’ve invested £500 million to tackle homelessness and stop it happening in the first place – including £50 million for councils to help rough sleepers.
“We’ve also set out the largest affordable housebuilding programme of any government since the 1970s, investing £9.4 billion so we can build a country that works for everyone.”
Centrepoint, the charity for homeless young people, said it was “more vital than ever” to provide affordable and supported housing for young people with nowhere else to go.
Paul Noblet, head of public affairs at the charity, went on: “Ring-fencing homes to support people who have slept on the streets is an important first step, but accommodation is only one part of the equation. Homelessness is a scarring experience. The Government must also ensure that charities and local councils have the funding to support homeless young people with their health and learning needs too.
“In the longer term we also need to see action on spiralling rents in many of our big cities, a problem that can leave young people who have worked hard to turn their lives around unable to move out of our hostels.”
St Mungo’s chief executive Howard Sinclair said: “We are pleased to hear a commitment to extending the London-based Clearing House scheme, which provides homes for vulnerable people who have slept rough.
“We know that the Clearing House model works. Since it started 25 years ago the service had referred 13,500 people into stable accommodation.
“But homelessness is about more than housing. Homeless people are also often facing challenging health issues, needing to improve skills and employability and wanting to form, and keep, positive relationships for moving on.
“This is why we will continue to press for all parties to commit to secure future funding for supported housing, to help vulnerable people with the most complex needs to get the help they need to rebuild their lives.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Jonathan Brady / PA Wire.
