MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing
Secretary, responding to the latest
quarterly homelessness statistics, said:
“Rising homelessness shames this Conservative
government.
“Homelessness fell with Labour, but under the Tories it has
spiralled out of control, with over 126,000 children now without
a home.
“This is a direct result of the Tories slashing investment
for affordable homes, cut back housing benefit, reduce funding
for homelessness services, and deny protection to private
renters.
“The next Labour government will end rough sleeping within
a Parliament and tackle the root causes of rising homelessness
with more affordable homes and stronger rights for
renters.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
· The
latest quarterly homelessness figures are available here, for Q1
2019: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/831118/Statutory_Homelessness_Statistical_Release_Jan_to_March_2019.pdf
· They
reveal:
o 126,000
homeless children in temporary accommodation, up 1 per cent on
the quarter and 69 per cent since 2010
o 37,690
households were initially assessed as threatened with
homelessness in Q1 2019, up 10.2 per cent from 34,190 in the
previous quarter
o 32,740
households were initially assessed as homeless, up 11.2 per cent
from 29,430 in the previous quarter
o Labour has
committed to ending rough sleeping within its first five years in
Parliament, and taking decisive action to tackle the causes of
rising homelessness with a million new genuinely affordable homes
over ten years and stronger rights for renters.
· Yesterday
(11th September), Prime Minister admitted that “Homelessness
is a massive, massive problem for our society" in his “People’s
PMQs”
