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.”
Notes to Editors
Crisis recommends that to achieve their ambition of ‘everyone in’
by the weekend, the Government should take the following
measures:
- Launch a national appeal for accommodation, including empty
apartment blocks and hotels
- Establish a dedicated stream of funding to go to local
authorities, paying for:
- The up-front costs of accommodating everyone who is on the
streets and in shelters
- The specialist support people need once they are in hotels
etc.
- For restrictions on housing benefit to be lifted, allowing
councils to rehouse people with no recourse to public funds
- To instruct councils that no legal barriers to help should be
used, including local connection, ‘intentional’ homelessness, or
priority need
- For hostile environment policies that keep people homeless to
be suspended, particularly the Right to Rent checks that
landlords have to do
- Suspend all evictions from Home Office asylum accommodation
